| 1 | 1 | | 84R1685 LEH-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Huffman S.B. No. 493 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to evidence or testimony given by certain witnesses in a |
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| 8 | 8 | | criminal case based on the trafficking of persons. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 20A, Penal Code, is amended by adding |
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| 11 | 11 | | Section 20A.04 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 20A.04. ACCOMPLICE WITNESS; TESTIMONY AND IMMUNITY. |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) A party to an offense under this chapter may be required to |
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| 14 | 14 | | provide evidence or testify about the offense. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) A party to an offense under this chapter may not be |
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| 16 | 16 | | prosecuted for any offense about which the party is required to |
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| 17 | 17 | | provide evidence or testify, and the evidence and testimony may not |
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| 18 | 18 | | be used against the party in any adjudicatory proceeding except a |
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| 19 | 19 | | prosecution for aggravated perjury. For purposes of this |
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| 20 | 20 | | subsection, "adjudicatory proceeding" means a proceeding before a |
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| 21 | 21 | | court or any other agency of government in which the legal rights, |
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| 22 | 22 | | powers, duties, or privileges of specified parties are determined. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (c) A conviction under this chapter may be had on the |
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| 24 | 24 | | uncorroborated testimony of a party to the offense. |
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| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a |
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| 26 | 26 | | criminal proceeding that commences on or after the effective date |
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| 27 | 27 | | of this Act. A criminal proceeding that commences before the |
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| 28 | 28 | | effective date of this Act is covered by the law in effect when the |
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| 29 | 29 | | proceeding commenced, and the former law is continued in effect for |
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| 30 | 30 | | that purpose. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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