83R1220 JSC-D
 
  By: Larson, Burkett, S. Davis of Harris, H.B. No. 149
      Paddie, Burnam, et al.
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the Texas Liberty Preservation Act; providing
  penalties.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  (a) This Act shall be known as the "Texas Liberty
  Preservation Act."
         (b)  The legislature finds that:
               (1)  the Tenth Amendment to the United States
  Constitution authorizes the United States federal government to
  exercise only those powers specifically delegated to it under
  Article I, Section 8, United States Constitution;
               (2)  the guaranty of the constitutional limitations on
  federal power is a matter of contract between the several states,
  including the State of Texas, and the federal government at the time
  the United States Constitution was ratified and subsequently
  amended by the Bill of Rights;
               (3)  Article VI, United States Constitution, provides
  that the laws of the United States federal government are the
  supreme law of the land only if those laws are adopted in accordance
  with the powers delegated to the federal government in the United
  States Constitution;
               (4)  the President of the United States has asserted
  that the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (Pub. L. No.
  107-40), enacted in 2001, authorizes the president to indefinitely
  detain, without charge, any person, including a citizen of the
  United States or a lawful resident alien, regardless of whether the
  person is apprehended inside or outside the borders of the United
  States;
               (5)  Sections 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense
  Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Pub. L. No. 112-81)
  authorize:
                     (A)  indefinite detention of persons apprehended
  within the United States without charge or trial;
                     (B)  prosecution by military tribunals under the
  law of war for persons apprehended within the United States; and
                     (C)  transfer of persons apprehended within the
  United States to foreign jurisdictions;
               (6)  in authorizing the actions described by
  Subdivision (5) of this subsection, Sections 1021 and 1022 of the
  National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Pub. L.
  No. 112-81) are inimical to the liberty, security, and well-being
  of the citizens of the State of Texas by violating:
                     (A)  the Texas Constitution;
                     (B)  the limits of federal power authorized by
  Article I, Section 8, United States Constitution;
                     (C)  the legal doctrine of Posse Comitatus under
  18 U.S.C. Section 1385 by authorizing the armed forces of the United
  States to police the United States; and
                     (D)  the following provisions of the United States
  Constitution:
                           (i)  Article I, Section 9, Clause 2
  (ensuring the right to seek a habeas corpus);
                           (ii)  the First Amendment (ensuring the
  right to petition the federal government for the redress of
  grievances);
                           (iii)  the Fourth Amendment (ensuring the
  right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure);
                           (iv)  the Fifth Amendment (requiring capital
  or infamous crimes to be brought before a grand jury before charging
  the defendant and prohibiting deprivation of life, liberty, or
  property without due process of law);
                           (v)  the Sixth Amendment (ensuring the right
  to a speedy trial by an impartial jury in the state or district
  where the offense was alleged to have been committed, the right to
  be informed of the nature and cause of accusations and charges
  levied, the right to retain legal counsel, and the right to confront
  witnesses);
                           (vi)  the Eighth Amendment (prohibiting
  excessive bail and fines and prohibiting cruel and unusual
  punishment); and
                           (vii)  the Fourteenth Amendment
  (prohibiting deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due
  process of law); and
               (7)  the actions described by Subdivision (5) of this
  subsection as authorized by Sections 1021 and 1022 of the National
  Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Pub. L. No.
  112-81), and the enforcement of those actions, are illegal within
  this state.
         SECTION 2.  Chapter 421, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subchapter G to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER G. TEXAS LIBERTY PRESERVATION ACT
         Sec. 421.101.  CERTAIN PORTIONS OF THE FEDERAL NATIONAL
  DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2012 INVALID. Sections 1021 and 1022
  of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012
  (Pub. L. No. 112-81) violate portions of federal law, the United
  States Constitution, and the Texas Constitution and, as such, are
  invalid and illegal in this state.
         Sec. 421.102.  POLICY; VIOLATION OF SUBCHAPTER.  It is the
  policy of this state to refuse to provide material support for or to
  participate in any way with the implementation within this state of
  Sections 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act
  for Fiscal Year 2012 (Pub. L. No. 112-81).  Any act to enforce or
  attempt to enforce those laws is in violation of this subchapter.
         Sec. 421.103.  OFFENSES; PENALTIES. (a) A person who is an
  official, agent, or employee of the United States or an employee of
  a corporation providing services to the United States commits an
  offense if the person enforces or attempts to enforce a statute, a
  rule or regulation, an order, or any law of the United States in
  violation of this subchapter.
         (b)  An offense under Subsection (a) is a Class A misdemeanor
  punishable by confinement for a term not to exceed one year, a fine
  of not more than $10,000, or both the confinement and the fine.
         (c)  A person who is a public officer or employee of this
  state commits an offense if that person enforces or attempts to
  enforce a statute, a rule or regulation, an order, or any law of the
  United States in violation of this subchapter.
         (d)  An offense under Subsection (c) is a Class B misdemeanor
  punishable by confinement for a term not to exceed 180 days, a fine
  of not more than $5,000, or both the confinement and the fine.
         Sec. 421.104.  REPORT. The Texas Department of Public
  Safety shall report to the governor and the legislature any attempt
  by the federal government to implement Section 1021 or 1022 of the
  National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Pub. L.
  No. 112-81) through the Texas Department of Public Safety or
  another state agency.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2013.