| 1 | 1 | | 89R12815 EAS-F |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Menéndez S.B. No. 1673 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | relating to the prosecution and punishment of the offense of |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | cruelty to nonlivestock animals. |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 42, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | amended by adding Article 42.0365 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | Art. 42.0365. PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING FOR CRUELTY TO |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | NONLIVESTOCK ANIMALS. A court sentencing a defendant for an |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | offense under Section 42.092, Penal Code, shall order the defendant |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | to participate in psychological counseling for a period to be |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | determined by the court. |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | SECTION 2. Section 42.092(a)(2), Penal Code, is amended to |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | read as follows: |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | (2) "Animal" means a [domesticated] living creature, |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | including any domesticated living creature and any [stray or feral |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | cat or dog, and a] wild living creature [previously captured]. The |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | term does not include [an uncaptured wild living creature or] a |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | livestock animal. |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | before that date. |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
|---|