Texas Senate Bill SB2191

Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Caption

Relating to certain sexual offenses; creating a criminal offense; increasing a criminal penalty.

Impact

The introduction of SB2191 is expected to have a significant impact on state laws relating to sexual offenses. It seeks to close legal loopholes that currently allow for coercive actions that exploit victims through intimidation or threat. The new provisions would enhance legal clarity regarding what constitutes coercion in a sexual context and create explicit consequences for offenders, potentially leading to increased prosecutions and convictions in such cases. These changes reflect a growing recognition of the importance of protecting individuals from coercive sexual tactics, aligning Texas law with modern understandings of consent and coercion.

Summary

SB2191 aims to address certain sexual offenses by creating new criminal offenses related to sexual coercion and enhancing penalties for existing offenses. The bill modifies the Penal Code to include definitions and stipulations about what constitutes sexual coercion, particularly focusing on threats made to extract intimate visual materials or sexual acts from individuals. By structuring these offenses as state jail felonies, the legislation is designed to impose more severe consequences on perpetrators, thereby providing stronger protection for victims.

Contention

Notable points of contention surrounding SB2191 include concerns from various stakeholders regarding the potential implementation challenges and the adequacy of measures put in place to ensure that the law is applied fairly. Critics may argue that while the intent of the bill is commendable, the definitions provided could lead to ambiguity in enforcement, potentially affecting legitimate expressions of consensual conduct. Furthermore, some may raise issues about the burdens this places on legal proceedings, particularly concerning the differentiation between consensual transactions versus coercion in intimate relationships. There is also discourse around the balance of protecting victims while ensuring that due process rights for the accused are maintained.