| 1 | 1 | | 88R380 JRR-D |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Toth H.B. No. 314 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to prohibiting the death penalty for a defendant whose |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | conviction is based solely on certain evidence. |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 1, Article 37.071, Code of Criminal |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | Procedure, is amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | follows: |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | (a-1) A defendant who is found guilty in a capital felony |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | case may not be sentenced to death, and the state may not seek the |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | death penalty, if the finding of guilt is based solely on the |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | testimony of a single eyewitness without any corroborating |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | evidence. |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | before that date. |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
|---|