Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB955 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Parker, Hall S.B. No. 955
2		-
3		-
	1	+	By: Parker S.B. No. 955
	2	+	(In the Senate - Filed January 28, 2025; February 13, 2025,
	3	+	read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
	4	+	March 19, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7,
	5	+	Nays 0; March 19, 2025, sent to printer.)
	6	+	Click here to see the committee vote
4	7
5	8
6	9		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
7	10		AN ACT
8	11		relating to the punishment for the offense of trafficking of
9	12		persons.
10	13		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	14		SECTION 1. Section 20A.02(b), Penal Code, as amended by
12	15		Chapters 93 (S.B. 1527) and 452 (H.B. 3554), Acts of the 88th
13	16		Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, is reenacted and amended to
14	17		read as follows:
15	18		(b) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection and
16	19		Subsection (b-1), an offense under this section is a felony of the
17	20		second degree. An offense under this section is a felony of the
18	21		first degree if:
19	22		(1) the applicable conduct constitutes an offense
20	23		under Subsection (a)(5), (6), (7), or (8), regardless of whether
21	24		the actor knows the age of the child or whether the actor knows the
22	25		victim is disabled at the time of the offense;
23	26		(2) the commission of the offense results in serious
24	27		bodily injury to or the death of the person who is trafficked; [or]
25	28		(3) the commission of the offense results in the death
26	29		of an unborn child of the person who is trafficked; or
27	30		(4) the actor:
28	31		(A) used or exhibited a deadly weapon during the
29	32		commission of the offense;
30	33		(B) intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly
31	34		impeded the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of the
32	35		trafficked person by applying pressure to the person's throat or
33	36		neck or by blocking the person's nose or mouth; [or]
34	37		(C) subject to Subsection (b-1), recruited,
35	38		enticed, or obtained the trafficked person from a shelter or
36	39		facility operating as a residential treatment center that serves
37	40		runaway youth, foster children, the homeless, or persons subjected
38	41		to human trafficking, domestic violence, or sexual assault; or
39	42		(D) subject to Subsection (b-1), recruited,
40	43		enticed, or obtained the trafficked person from a correctional
41	44		facility while the trafficked person was confined in the facility.
42	45		SECTION 2. Section 20A.02(b-1), Penal Code, as amended by
43	46		Chapters 451 (H.B. 3553) and 452 (H.B. 3554), Acts of the 88th
44	47		Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, is reenacted and amended to
45	48		read as follows:
46	49		(b-1) An offense under this section is a felony of the first
47	50		degree punishable by imprisonment in the Texas Department of
48	51		Criminal Justice for life or for a term of not more than 99 years or
49	52		less than 25 years if it is shown on the trial of the offense that
50	53		the actor committed the offense in a location that was:
51	54		(1) on the premises of or within 1,000 feet of the
52	55		premises of:
53	56		(A) a school; [or]
54	57		(B) an institution of higher education or private
55	58		or independent institution of higher education, as defined by
56	59		Section 61.003, Education Code; [or]
57	60		(C) [(B)] a juvenile detention facility;
58	61		(D) [(C)] a post-adjudication secure
59	62		correctional facility;
60	63		(E) [(D)] a shelter or facility operating as a
61	64		residential treatment center that serves runaway youth, foster
62	65		children, people who are homeless, or persons subjected to human
63	66		trafficking, domestic violence, or sexual assault;
64	67		(F) [(E)] a community center offering youth
65	68		services and programs; [or]
66	69		(G) [(F)] a child-care facility, as defined by
67	70		Section 42.002, Human Resources Code; or
68	71		(H) a correctional facility; or
69	72		(2) on the premises where or within 1,000 feet of the
70	73		premises where:
71	74		(A) an official school function was taking place;
72	75		or
73	76		(B) an event sponsored or sanctioned by the
74	77		University Interscholastic League was taking place.
75	78		SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only
76	79		to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.
77	80		An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is
78	81		governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed,
79	82		and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For
80	83		purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the
81	84		effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred
82	85		before that date.
83	86		SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
	87	+	* * * * *