| Old | New | Differences | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 89R13867 EAS-D | |
| 2 | 2 | By: Dyson H.B. No. 4996 | |
| 3 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 4 | ||
| 5 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 6 | ||
| 7 | 7 | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED | |
| 8 | 8 | AN ACT | |
| 9 | 9 | relating to increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of | |
| 10 | 10 | refusal to execute the release of a fraudulent lien or claim. | |
| 11 | 11 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | |
| 12 | 12 | SECTION 1. Section 32.49(c), Penal Code, is amended to read | |
| 13 | 13 | as follows: | |
| 14 | 14 | (c) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor, | |
| 15 | 15 | except that the offense is a felony of the third degree if the owner | |
| 16 | 16 | of the real or personal property subject to the fraudulent lien or | |
| 17 | 17 | claim is a person the actor knows is a public servant. | |
| 18 | 18 | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only | |
| 19 | 19 | to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. | |
| 20 | 20 | An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is | |
| 21 | 21 | governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, | |
| 22 | 22 | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For | |
| 23 | 23 | purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the | |
| 24 | 24 | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred | |
| 25 | 25 | before that date. | |
| 26 | 26 | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |