| 1 | 1 | | 87R11798 MCF-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Morales Shaw H.B. No. 4254 |
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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 a criminal offense committed against a person because |
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| 8 | 8 | | of bias or prejudice on the basis of gender identity or expression. |
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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. This Act may be cited as the Monica Roberts Act. |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 2. Articles 42.014(a) and (c), Code of Criminal |
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| 12 | 12 | | Procedure, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) In the trial of an offense under Title 5, Penal Code, or |
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| 14 | 14 | | Section 28.02, 28.03, or 28.08, Penal Code, the judge shall make an |
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| 15 | 15 | | affirmative finding of fact and enter the affirmative finding in |
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| 16 | 16 | | the judgment of the case if at the guilt or innocence phase of the |
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| 17 | 17 | | trial, the judge or the jury, whichever is the trier of fact, |
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| 18 | 18 | | determines beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant |
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| 19 | 19 | | intentionally selected the person against whom the offense was |
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| 20 | 20 | | committed, or intentionally selected the person's property that was |
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| 21 | 21 | | damaged or affected as a result of the offense, because of the |
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| 22 | 22 | | defendant's bias or prejudice against a group identified by race, |
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| 23 | 23 | | color, disability, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, |
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| 24 | 24 | | gender, [or] sexual preference, or gender identity or expression or |
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| 25 | 25 | | by status as a peace officer or judge. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) In this article: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) "Gender identity or expression" means having or |
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| 28 | 28 | | being perceived as having a gender-related identity, appearance, |
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| 29 | 29 | | expression, or behavior, regardless of whether that identity, |
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| 30 | 30 | | appearance, expression, or behavior is different from that commonly |
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| 31 | 31 | | associated with the person's actual or perceived sex. The term |
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| 32 | 32 | | includes being or being perceived as being transgender. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) "Sexual [, "sexual] preference" has the following |
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| 34 | 34 | | meaning only: a preference for heterosexuality, homosexuality, or |
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| 35 | 35 | | bisexuality. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 37 | 37 | | to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 38 | 38 | | An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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| 39 | 39 | | governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
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| 40 | 40 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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| 41 | 41 | | purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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| 42 | 42 | | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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| 43 | 43 | | before that date. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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