| 1 | 1 | | By: Middleton S.B. No. 931 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to remote vehicle disabling technology capable of being |
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| 7 | 7 | | activated or engaged by a motor vehicle manufacturer or |
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| 8 | 8 | | governmental entity; creating criminal offenses. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter K, Chapter 547, Transportation Code, |
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| 11 | 11 | | is amended by adding Section 547.619 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 547.619. REMOTE VEHICLE DISABLING TECHNOLOGY; |
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| 13 | 13 | | OFFENSE. (a) In this section: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Governmental entity" means an agency of the |
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| 15 | 15 | | United States, this state, or a local government of this state. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) "Remote vehicle disabling technology" means any |
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| 17 | 17 | | application or device, including software, firmware, and hardware, |
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| 18 | 18 | | that, when activated or engaged, allows a person to disable the |
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| 19 | 19 | | operation of a motor vehicle. The term does not include an ignition |
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| 20 | 20 | | interlock device as defined by Article 42A.408, Code of Criminal |
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| 21 | 21 | | Procedure. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b) A person commits an offense if the person: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) manufactures, distributes, or possesses with |
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| 24 | 24 | | intent to distribute remote vehicle disabling technology that is |
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| 25 | 25 | | capable of being: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (A) activated or engaged by a motor vehicle |
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| 27 | 27 | | manufacturer or governmental entity; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (B) installed on a light truck or passenger car; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) installs on a light truck or passenger car remote |
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| 30 | 30 | | vehicle disabling technology that is capable of being activated or |
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| 31 | 31 | | engaged by the vehicle manufacturer or a governmental entity; or |
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| 32 | 32 | | (3) sells a light truck or passenger car on which has |
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| 33 | 33 | | been installed remote vehicle disabling technology that is capable |
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| 34 | 34 | | of being activated or engaged by the vehicle manufacturer or a |
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| 35 | 35 | | governmental entity. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (c) An offense under this section is a state jail felony. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (d) A license holder under Chapter 2301, Occupations Code, |
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| 38 | 38 | | who commits an offense under this section is subject to the |
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| 39 | 39 | | revocation of the license under Section 2301.651(a)(4), |
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| 40 | 40 | | Occupations Code. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 42 | 42 | | an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An |
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| 43 | 43 | | offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed |
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| 44 | 44 | | by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the |
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| 45 | 45 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of |
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| 46 | 46 | | this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of |
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| 47 | 47 | | this Act if any element of the offense was committed before that |
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| 48 | 48 | | date. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 50 | 50 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 51 | 51 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 52 | 52 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 53 | 53 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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