| 1 | | - | H.B. No. 2326 |
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| 1 | + | By: Frullo (Senate Sponsor - Springer) H.B. No. 2326 |
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| 2 | + | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 19, 2021; |
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| 3 | + | April 20, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 4 | + | Administration; April 26, 2021, rereferred to Committee on Water, |
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| 5 | + | Agriculture & Rural Affairs; May 13, 2021, reported adversely, |
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| 6 | + | with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: |
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| 7 | + | Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 13, 2021, sent to printer.) |
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| 8 | + | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 9 | + | COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2326 By: Springer |
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| 4 | 13 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 14 | | relating to the possession and transportation of certain |
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| 6 | 15 | | nonindigenous snakes; increasing a criminal penalty. |
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| 7 | 16 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 17 | | SECTION 1. Section 43.851(a), Parks and Wildlife Code, is |
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| 9 | 18 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 10 | 19 | | (a) The commission by rule shall establish permits that |
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| 11 | 20 | | allow permit holders to possess or transport in this state a live |
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| 12 | 21 | | nonindigenous snake, including a hybrid of any kind, that is: |
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| 13 | 22 | | (1) venomous [snake]; or |
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| 14 | 23 | | (2) a constrictor that is one of the following: |
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| 15 | 24 | | (A) African rock python, Python sebae; |
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| 16 | 25 | | (B) Asiatic rock python, Python molurus; |
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| 17 | 26 | | (C) Burmese python, Python bivittatus; |
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| 18 | 27 | | (D) green anaconda, Eunectes murinus; |
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| 19 | 28 | | (E) [(D)] reticulated python, Python |
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| 20 | 29 | | reticulatus; or |
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| 21 | 30 | | (F) [(E)] southern African python, Python |
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| 22 | 31 | | natalensis. |
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| 23 | 32 | | SECTION 2. Section 43.856, Parks and Wildlife Code, is |
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| 24 | 33 | | amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c) to |
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| 25 | 34 | | read as follows: |
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| 26 | 35 | | (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) or (c), a person |
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| 27 | 36 | | who violates this subchapter or a rule adopted under this |
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| 28 | 37 | | subchapter commits an offense that is a Class C Parks and Wildlife |
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| 29 | 38 | | Code misdemeanor. |
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| 30 | 39 | | (c) If it is shown at the trial of the defendant for a |
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| 31 | 40 | | violation of this subchapter or a rule adopted under this |
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| 32 | 41 | | subchapter that the defendant has engaged in a commercial activity |
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| 33 | 42 | | without holding a required permit and the defendant has been |
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| 34 | 43 | | previously convicted of a violation of this subchapter or a rule |
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| 35 | 44 | | adopted under this subchapter, on conviction the defendant shall be |
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| 36 | 45 | | punished for a Class B Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanor. |
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| 37 | 46 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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| 38 | | - | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 39 | | - | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 40 | | - | I certify that H.B. No. 2326 was passed by the House on April |
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| 41 | | - | 16, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 141, Nays 4, 2 present, not |
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| 42 | | - | voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. |
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| 43 | | - | No. 2326 on May 24, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 117, Nays 28, |
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| 44 | | - | 1 present, not voting. |
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| 45 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 46 | | - | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 47 | | - | I certify that H.B. No. 2326 was passed by the Senate, with |
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| 48 | | - | amendments, on May 19, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays |
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| 49 | | - | 0. |
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| 50 | | - | ______________________________ |
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| 51 | | - | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 52 | | - | APPROVED: __________________ |
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| 53 | | - | Date |
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| 54 | | - | __________________ |
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| 55 | | - | Governor |
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| 47 | + | * * * * * |
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