| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 844 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to crime victims' compensation for criminally injurious |
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| 6 | 6 | | conduct in connection with trafficking of persons. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 56B, Code of Criminal |
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| 9 | 9 | | Procedure, is amended by adding Article 56B.0035 to read as |
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| 10 | 10 | | follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Art. 56B.0035. CRIMINALLY INJURIOUS CONDUCT. (a) For |
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| 12 | 12 | | purposes of this chapter, criminally injurious conduct includes the |
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| 13 | 13 | | solicitation or patronization of forced labor or services, |
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| 14 | 14 | | including sexual conduct, by any person if the solicitation or |
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| 15 | 15 | | patronization occurs in connection with a scheme or course of |
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| 16 | 16 | | conduct that constitutes the trafficking of persons. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) A victim of criminally injurious conduct described by |
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| 18 | 18 | | Subsection (a) is a trafficking victim for the purposes of grant |
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| 19 | 19 | | programs administered by the office of the governor. |
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| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 21 | 21 | | to compensation for criminally injurious conduct occurring on or |
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| 22 | 22 | | after the effective date of this Act. Compensation for criminally |
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| 23 | 23 | | injurious conduct occurring before the effective date of this Act |
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| 24 | 24 | | is governed by the law in effect on the date the conduct occurred, |
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| 25 | 25 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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| 26 | 26 | | purposes of this section, criminally injurious conduct occurred |
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| 27 | 27 | | before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense |
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| 28 | 28 | | underlying the conduct occurred before that date. |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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| 30 | 30 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 31 | 31 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 32 | 32 | | I certify that H.B. No. 844 was passed by the House on May 4, |
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| 33 | 33 | | 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 2, 1 present, not |
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| 34 | 34 | | voting. |
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| 35 | 35 | | ______________________________ |
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| 36 | 36 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 37 | 37 | | I certify that H.B. No. 844 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 38 | 38 | | 18, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 39 | 39 | | ______________________________ |
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| 40 | 40 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 41 | 41 | | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 42 | 42 | | Date |
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| 43 | 43 | | _____________________ |
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| 44 | 44 | | Governor |
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