Bill Text: TX SB2319 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the prosecution of criminal offenses involving the trafficking of persons.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-21 - Referred to State Affairs [SB2319 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB2319-Introduced.html
86R12655 JRR-F | ||
By: Creighton | S.B. No. 2319 |
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relating to the prosecution of criminal offenses involving the | ||
trafficking of persons. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Article 13.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
Art. 13.12. TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS, FALSE IMPRISONMENT, | ||
KIDNAPPING, AND SMUGGLING OF PERSONS. (a) Venue for trafficking | ||
of persons, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and smuggling of | ||
persons is in: | ||
(1) the county in which the offense was committed; or | ||
(2) any county through, into, or out of which the | ||
person trafficked, falsely imprisoned, kidnapped, or transported | ||
may have been taken. | ||
(b) If a defendant commits an offense under Chapter 20A, | ||
Penal Code, that is part of a criminal episode, as defined by | ||
Section 3.01, Penal Code, all of the offenses arising out of the | ||
same criminal episode may be prosecuted in any county in which any | ||
offense in the criminal episode was committed. | ||
SECTION 2. Chapter 20A, Penal Code, is amended by adding | ||
Section 20A.015 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 20A.015. PROSECUTION BY ATTORNEY GENERAL AUTHORIZED. | ||
(a) The attorney general may prosecute an offense under this | ||
chapter and any other offense arising out of the same criminal | ||
episode, as defined by Section 3.01. | ||
(b) The attorney general may appear before a grand jury in | ||
connection with an offense the attorney general is authorized to | ||
prosecute under this section. | ||
(c) The authority to prosecute prescribed by this section | ||
does not affect the authority derived from other law to prosecute | ||
the same offenses. | ||
SECTION 3. Article 13.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, as | ||
amended by this Act, and Section 20A.015, Penal Code, as added by | ||
this Act, apply only to the prosecution of an offense committed on | ||
or after the effective date of this Act. The prosecution of an | ||
offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed | ||
by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the | ||
former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of | ||
this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of | ||
this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |