Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1427 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	H.B. No. 1427
2	2
3	3
4	4	AN ACT
5	5	relating to the prosecution of the offense of harassment.
6	6	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
7	7	SECTION 1. Section 42.07(a), Penal Code, is amended to read
8	8	as follows:
9	9	(a) A person commits an offense if, with intent to harass,
10	10	annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, or embarrass another, the person:
11	11	(1) initiates communication and in the course of the
12	12	communication makes a comment, request, suggestion, or proposal
13	13	that is obscene;
14	14	(2) threatens, in a manner reasonably likely to alarm
15	15	the person receiving the threat, to inflict bodily injury on the
16	16	person or to commit a felony against the person, a member of the
17	17	person's family or household, or the person's property;
18	18	(3) conveys, in a manner reasonably likely to alarm
19	19	the person receiving the report, a false report, which is known by
20	20	the conveyor to be false, that another person has suffered death or
21	21	serious bodily injury;
22	22	(4) causes the telephone of another to ring repeatedly
23	23	or makes repeated telephone communications anonymously or in a
24	24	manner reasonably likely to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment,
25	25	embarrass, or offend another;
26	26	(5) makes a telephone call and intentionally fails to
27	27	hang up or disengage the connection;
28	28	(6) knowingly permits a telephone under the person's
29	29	control to be used by another to commit an offense under this
30	30	section;
31	31	(7) sends repeated electronic communications in a
32	32	manner reasonably likely to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment,
33	33	embarrass, or offend another; [or]
34	34	(8) publishes on an Internet website, including a
35	35	social media platform, repeated electronic communications in a
36	36	manner reasonably likely to cause emotional distress, abuse, or
37	37	torment to another person, unless the communications are made in
38	38	connection with a matter of public concern; or
39	39	(9) makes obscene, intimidating, or threatening
40	40	telephone calls or other electronic communications from a temporary
41	41	or disposable telephone number provided by an Internet application
42	42	or other technological means.
43	43	SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
44	44	to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.
45	45	An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is
46	46	governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed,
47	47	and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For
48	48	purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the
49	49	effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred
50	50	before that date.
51	51	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
52	52	______________________________ ______________________________
53	53	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
54	54	I certify that H.B. No. 1427 was passed by the House on May 2,
55	55	2023, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 5, 3 present, not
56	56	voting.
57	57	______________________________
58	58	Chief Clerk of the House
59	59	I certify that H.B. No. 1427 was passed by the Senate on May
60	60	18, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
61	61	______________________________
62	62	Secretary of the Senate
63	63	APPROVED: _____________________
64	64	Date
65	65	_____________________
66	66	Governor