Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4502 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R14683 AJZ-F
2	2	By: Lang H.B. No. 4502
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to creating the criminal offenses of terrorism and
8	8	terroristic hoax.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Title 10, Penal Code, is amended by adding
11	11	Chapter 50 to read as follows:
12	12	CHAPTER 50. TERRORISM
13	13	Sec. 50.01. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "terrorist
14	14	organization" means any of the following:
15	15	(1) a domestic or foreign organization that engages or
16	16	prepares to engage in the planning, preparation, commission, or
17	17	support of an act of terrorism;
18	18	(2) a domestic or foreign organization that has the
19	19	capability and intent to engage in an act of terrorism; or
20	20	(3) an organization designated as a foreign terrorist
21	21	organization by the United States secretary of state as authorized
22	22	by 8 U.S.C. Section 1189.
23	23	Sec. 50.02. TERRORISM. (a) A person commits an offense if
24	24	the person commits one or more offenses under Section 20.03 or
25	25	engages in an act of violence that causes felony damage to property,
26	26	serious bodily injury, or death, or threatens to commit such an
27	27	offense, with the intent to:
28	28	(1) intimidate or coerce a civilian population to
29	29	further the objectives of a terrorist organization;
30	30	(2) influence the policy or conduct of the state
31	31	government by intimidation or coercion;
32	32	(3) support a broader ideological movement, including
33	33	a nonviolent movement, with the objective of overthrowing the state
34	34	government and replacing the existing form of government with a
35	35	form of government that is not based on the essential principles of
36	36	liberty; or
37	37	(4) retaliate for policy or conduct of the state
38	38	government by intimidation or coercion.
39	39	(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the first
40	40	degree.
41	41	Sec. 50.03. TERRORISTIC HOAX. (a) A person commits an
42	42	offense if the person knowingly simulates an offense under Section
43	43	50.02 as a prank and:
44	44	(1) intentionally uses a substance to cause fear,
45	45	intimidation, or anxiety in a person and to cause a reasonable
46	46	belief by the person that the substance is placed, sent, delivered,
47	47	or otherwise used as an act of biochemical or radiological
48	48	terrorism requiring an emergency response or the evacuation or
49	49	quarantine of a person, place, or item; or
50	50	(2) commits or threatens to commit an act of violence,
51	51	sabotage, felony damage to property, or serious bodily injury with
52	52	the intent to cause fear, intimidation, or anxiety in a person and a
53	53	reasonable belief by the person that the act or threat is an act of
54	54	terrorism to disrupt any place, population, or business in this
55	55	state or to disrupt the state government.
56	56	(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the first
57	57	degree.
58	58	SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
59	59	an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An
60	60	offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed
61	61	by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the former
62	62	law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this
63	63	section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this
64	64	Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.
65	65	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.