Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1980 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R9975 MEW-F
2	2	By: Hall S.B. No. 1980
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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	assault committed against certain public servants and to the
11	11	prosecution of the criminal offense of interference with public
12	12	duties of those public servants.
13	13	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	14	SECTION 1. Sections 22.01(c) and (d), Penal Code, are
15	15	amended to read as follows:
16	16	(c) An offense under Subsection (a)(2) or (3) is a Class C
17	17	misdemeanor, except that the offense is:
18	18	(1) a Class A misdemeanor if the offense is committed
19	19	under Subsection (a)(3) against an elderly individual or disabled
20	20	individual, as those terms are defined by Section 22.04;
21	21	(2) a Class B misdemeanor if the offense is committed
22	22	by a person who is not a sports participant against a person the
23	23	actor knows is a sports participant either:
24	24	(A) while the participant is performing duties or
25	25	responsibilities in the participant's capacity as a sports
26	26	participant; or
27	27	(B) in retaliation for or on account of the
28	28	participant's performance of a duty or responsibility within the
29	29	participant's capacity as a sports participant;
30	30	(3) a Class B misdemeanor if the offense is committed
31	31	against a person the actor knows is:
32	32	(A) a peace officer, a community supervision and
33	33	corrections department officer, or a parole officer while the
34	34	officer is performing a duty or exercising authority imposed or
35	35	granted by law; or
36	36	(B) emergency services personnel while the
37	37	person is providing emergency services; or
38	38	(4) [(3)] a Class A misdemeanor if the offense is
39	39	committed against a pregnant individual to force the individual to
40	40	have an abortion.
41	41	(d) For purposes of Subsections [Subsection] (b) and (c),
42	42	the actor is presumed to have known the person assaulted was a
43	43	public servant, including a public servant described by Subsection
44	44	(c)(3)(A), a security officer, or emergency services personnel if
45	45	the person was wearing a distinctive uniform or badge indicating
46	46	the person's employment as a public servant or status as a security
47	47	officer or emergency services personnel.
48	48	SECTION 2. Sections 38.15(a) and (d-1), Penal Code, are
49	49	amended to read as follows:
50	50	(a) A person commits an offense if the person with criminal
51	51	negligence interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or otherwise interferes
52	52	with:
53	53	(1) a peace officer, a community supervision and
54	54	corrections department officer, or a parole officer while the
55	55	[peace] officer is performing a duty or exercising authority
56	56	imposed or granted by law;
57	57	(2) a person who is employed to provide emergency
58	58	medical services including the transportation of ill or injured
59	59	persons while the person is performing that duty;
60	60	(3) a fire fighter, while the fire fighter is fighting
61	61	a fire or investigating the cause of a fire;
62	62	(4) an animal under the supervision of a peace
63	63	officer, corrections officer, or jailer, if the person knows the
64	64	animal is being used for law enforcement, corrections, prison or
65	65	jail security, or investigative purposes;
66	66	(5) the transmission of a communication over a
67	67	citizen's band radio channel, the purpose of which communication is
68	68	to inform or inquire about an emergency;
69	69	(6) an officer with responsibility for animal control
70	70	in a county or municipality, while the officer is performing a duty
71	71	or exercising authority imposed or granted under Chapter 821 or
72	72	822, Health and Safety Code; or
73	73	(7) a person who:
74	74	(A) has responsibility for assessing, enacting,
75	75	or enforcing public health, environmental, radiation, or safety
76	76	measures for the state or a county or municipality;
77	77	(B) is investigating a particular site as part of
78	78	the person's responsibilities under Paragraph (A);
79	79	(C) is acting in accordance with policies and
80	80	procedures related to the safety and security of the site described
81	81	by Paragraph (B); and
82	82	(D) is performing a duty or exercising authority
83	83	imposed or granted under the Agriculture Code, Health and Safety
84	84	Code, Occupations Code, or Water Code.
85	85	(d-1) Except as provided by Subsection (d-2), in a
86	86	prosecution for an offense under Subsection (a)(1), there is a
87	87	rebuttable presumption that the actor interferes with a peace
88	88	officer, community supervision and corrections department officer,
89	89	or parole officer if it is shown on the trial of the offense that the
90	90	actor intentionally disseminated the home address, home telephone
91	91	number, emergency contact information, or social security number of
92	92	the officer or a family member of the officer or any other
93	93	information that is specifically described by Section 552.117(a),
94	94	Government Code.
95	95	SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
96	96	an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An
97	97	offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed
98	98	by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the
99	99	former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
100	100	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.