| 1 | 1 | | By: Toth H.B. No. 4318 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to protecting parents and other individuals from criminal |
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| 9 | 9 | | investigations or prosecution for refusing to affirm a child's |
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| 10 | 10 | | homosexual or transgender inclinations or efforts to obtain an |
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| 11 | 11 | | abortion. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Section 22.04, Penal Code, is amended by adding |
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| 14 | 14 | | Subsection (n) to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (n) This section may not be construed to impose criminal |
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| 16 | 16 | | liability on any person for criticizing, opposing, attempting to |
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| 17 | 17 | | change, or refusing to affirm, accept, accommodate, or express |
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| 18 | 18 | | approval of another person's: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) homosexual inclinations or behavior; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) transgender or gender non-conforming inclinations |
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| 21 | 21 | | or behavior; or |
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| 22 | 22 | | (3) efforts or decision to obtain an abortion. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 2. Section 22.04, Penal Code, is amended by adding |
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| 24 | 24 | | Subsection (i) to read as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (i) This section may not be construed to impose criminal |
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| 26 | 26 | | liability on any person for criticizing, opposing, attempting to |
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| 27 | 27 | | change, or refusing to affirm, accept, accommodate, or express |
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| 28 | 28 | | approval of another person's: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) homosexual inclinations or behavior; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) transgender or gender non-conforming inclinations |
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| 31 | 31 | | or behavior; or |
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| 32 | 32 | | (3) efforts or decision to obtain an abortion. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 3. If any provision of this Act or its application |
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| 34 | 34 | | to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does |
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| 35 | 35 | | not affect other provisions or applications of this Act that can be |
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| 36 | 36 | | given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to |
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| 37 | 37 | | this end the provisions of this Act are declared to be severable. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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