87R11119 JSC-D
By: Reynolds H.B. No. 2358
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to increasing the criminal penalty for certain false
reports that are made to certain law enforcement and corrections
entities.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 37.08, Penal Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
follows:
(c) Except as otherwise provided by Subsection (d), an [An]
offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.
(d) If it is shown on the trial of an offense under this
section that the false statement consisted of an allegation that
another person engaged in conduct violating a penal law of this
state, the offense is the greater of:
(1) the category of offense of the most serious
offense falsely reported; or
(2) a Class A misdemeanor.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.
An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is
governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed,
and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For
purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the
effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred
before that date.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.