Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB260 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R2846 MCF-D
2	2	By: Lalani H.B. No. 260
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to prohibiting sex offenders from purchasing firearms.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 62, Code of Criminal
12	12	Procedure, is amended by adding Article 62.066 to read as follows:
13	13	Art. 62.066. PROHIBITED FIREARM PURCHASE. A person subject
14	14	to registration under this chapter may not purchase a firearm as
15	15	defined by Section 46.01, Penal Code.
16	16	SECTION 2. Article 62.053(a), Code of Criminal Procedure,
17	17	is amended to read as follows:
18	18	(a) Before a person who will be subject to registration
19	19	under this chapter is due to be released from a penal institution,
20	20	the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or the Texas Juvenile
21	21	Justice Department shall determine the person's level of risk to
22	22	the community using the sex offender screening tool developed or
23	23	selected under Article 62.007 and assign to the person a numeric
24	24	risk level of one, two, or three. Before releasing the person, an
25	25	official of the penal institution shall:
26	26	(1) inform the person that:
27	27	(A) not later than the later of the seventh day
28	28	after the date on which the person is released or after the date on
29	29	which the person moves from a previous residence to a new residence
30	30	in this state or not later than the first date the applicable local
31	31	law enforcement authority by policy allows the person to register
32	32	or verify registration, the person must register or verify
33	33	registration with the local law enforcement authority in the
34	34	municipality or county in which the person intends to reside;
35	35	(B) not later than the seventh day after the date
36	36	on which the person is released or the date on which the person
37	37	moves from a previous residence to a new residence in this state,
38	38	the person must, if the person has not moved to an intended
39	39	residence, report to the applicable entity or entities as required
40	40	by Article 62.051(h) or (j) or 62.055(e);
41	41	(C) not later than the seventh day before the
42	42	date on which the person moves to a new residence in this state or
43	43	another state, the person must report in person to the local law
44	44	enforcement authority designated as the person's primary
45	45	registration authority by the department and to the juvenile
46	46	probation officer, community supervision and corrections
47	47	department officer, or parole officer supervising the person;
48	48	(D) not later than the 10th day after the date on
49	49	which the person arrives in another state in which the person
50	50	intends to reside, the person must register with the law
51	51	enforcement agency that is identified by the department as the
52	52	agency designated by that state to receive registration
53	53	information, if the other state has a registration requirement for
54	54	sex offenders;
55	55	(E) not later than the 30th day after the date on
56	56	which the person is released, the person must apply to the
57	57	department in person for the issuance of an original or renewal
58	58	driver's license or personal identification certificate and a
59	59	failure to apply to the department as required by this paragraph
60	60	results in the automatic revocation of any driver's license or
61	61	personal identification certificate issued by the department to the
62	62	person;
63	63	(F) the person must notify appropriate entities
64	64	of any change in status as described by Article 62.057;
65	65	(G) certain types of employment are prohibited
66	66	under Article 62.063 for a person with a reportable conviction or
67	67	adjudication for a sexually violent offense involving a victim
68	68	younger than 14 years of age and occurring on or after September 1,
69	69	2013;
70	70	(H) certain locations of residence are
71	71	prohibited under Article 62.064 for a person with a reportable
72	72	conviction or adjudication for an offense occurring on or after
73	73	September 1, 2017, except as otherwise provided by that article;
74	74	[and]
75	75	(I) if the person enters the premises of a school
76	76	as described by Article 62.065 and is subject to the requirements of
77	77	that article, the person must immediately notify the administrative
78	78	office of the school of the person's presence and the person's
79	79	registration status under this chapter; and
80	80	(J) a person with a reportable conviction or
81	81	adjudication for an offense occurring on or after September 1,
82	82	2025, may not purchase a firearm, as provided by Article 62.066;
83	83	(2) require the person to sign a written statement
84	84	that the person was informed of the person's duties as described by
85	85	Subdivision (1) or Subsection (g) or, if the person refuses to sign
86	86	the statement, certify that the person was so informed;
87	87	(3) obtain the address or, if applicable, a detailed
88	88	description of each geographical location where the person expects
89	89	to reside on the person's release and other registration
90	90	information, including a photograph and complete set of
91	91	fingerprints; and
92	92	(4) complete the registration form for the person.
93	93	SECTION 3. Article 62.058(g), Code of Criminal Procedure,
94	94	is amended to read as follows:
95	95	(g) A local law enforcement authority that provides to a
96	96	person a registration form for verification as required by this
97	97	chapter shall include with the form a statement describing the
98	98	prohibitions [prohibition] under Articles [Article] 62.064 and
99	99	62.066.
100	100	SECTION 4. (a) Article 62.066, Code of Criminal Procedure,
101	101	as added by this Act, applies only to a person who is required to
102	102	register under Chapter 62, Code of Criminal Procedure, on the basis
103	103	of a conviction or adjudication for an offense committed on or after
104	104	the effective date of this Act. An offense committed before the
105	105	effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the
106	106	date the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in
107	107	effect for that purpose.
108	108	(b) A person who is required to register under Chapter 62,
109	109	Code of Criminal Procedure, solely on the basis of a conviction or
110	110	adjudication that occurs before the effective date of this Act is
111	111	governed by the law in effect on the date the conviction or
112	112	adjudication occurred, and the former law is continued in effect
113	113	for that purpose.
114	114	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.