| 1 | 1 | | 88R7739 MLH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Campos H.B. No. 1594 |
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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 the duties of social media companies regarding |
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| 8 | 8 | | prostitution and trafficking of persons; creating a criminal |
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| 9 | 9 | | offense. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Title 99, Business & Commerce Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 12 | | adding Chapter 2005 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | CHAPTER 2005. DUTIES OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY REGARDING |
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| 14 | 14 | | PROSTITUTION AND TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 2005.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) "Social media company" means a business entity |
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| 17 | 17 | | that provides or operates a social media website. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) "Social media website" means an interactive |
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| 19 | 19 | | Internet website or application that enables multiple users to |
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| 20 | 20 | | communicate with other users by posting, creating, sharing, or |
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| 21 | 21 | | viewing content, including instant messages, blogs, information, |
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| 22 | 22 | | comments, videos, and images. The term includes Facebook, |
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| 23 | 23 | | Instagram, and Twitter. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Sec. 2005.002. PROSTITUTION AND TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS ON |
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| 25 | 25 | | SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES. (a) A social media company may not allow a |
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| 26 | 26 | | person to use the company's social media website for engaging in |
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| 27 | 27 | | conduct that constitutes an offense under Chapter 20A, Penal Code, |
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| 28 | 28 | | or Subchapter A, Chapter 43, Penal Code. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (b) A social media company that discovers a person is using |
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| 30 | 30 | | the company's social media website to engage in conduct described |
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| 31 | 31 | | by Subsection (a) shall: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) preserve the offending content; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) notify the appropriate law enforcement authority; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (3) remove the offending content from being publicly |
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| 35 | 35 | | accessible; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (4) either: |
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| 37 | 37 | | (A) suspend the account to which the content was |
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| 38 | 38 | | posted; or |
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| 39 | 39 | | (B) issue a warning to the account holder that |
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| 40 | 40 | | posted the content. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (c) A social media company commits an offense if the company |
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| 42 | 42 | | violates this section. An offense under this subsection is a Class |
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| 43 | 43 | | A misdemeanor except that the offense is a state jail felony if the |
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| 44 | 44 | | conduct is committed intentionally or knowingly. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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