| 1 | 1 | | By: Parker S.B. No. 2208 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | (DeAyala, Bell of Kaufman, Toth, Smith, Craddick, et al.) |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to the venue for the prosecution of an election offense. |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 13, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Article 13.41 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | Art. 13.41. ELECTION OFFENSES. (a) An offense classified |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | as a felony under the Election Code, or a felony offense otherwise |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | related to an election conducted in this state, may be prosecuted in |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | a judicial district adjoining the judicial district in which the |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | offense occurred. |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | (b) An offense classified as a misdemeanor under the |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | Election Code, or a misdemeanor offense otherwise related to an |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | election conducted in this state, may be prosecuted in a county |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | adjoining the county in which the offense occurred. |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | a violation of law that occurs on or after the effective date of |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | this Act. A violation that occurs before the effective date of this |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the violation |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | occurred, and the former law is continued in effect for that |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | purpose. For purposes of this section, a violation of law occurred |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | before the effective date of this Act if any element of the |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | violation occurred before that date. |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
|---|