H.B. No. 1661
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the prosecution of the criminal offense of continuous
  violence against the family.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  This Act may be cited as Rachel's Law.
         SECTION 2.  Chapter 13, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by adding Article 13.072 to read as follows:
         Art. 13.072.  CONTINUOUS VIOLENCE AGAINST THE FAMILY
  COMMITTED IN MORE THAN ONE COUNTY. An offense under Section 25.11,
  Penal Code, may be prosecuted in any county in which the defendant
  engaged in the conduct constituting an offense under Section
  22.01(a)(1), Penal Code, against a person described by Section
  25.11(a), Penal Code.
         SECTION 3.  Section 25.11(b), Penal Code, is amended to read
  as follows:
         (b)  If the jury is the trier of fact, members of the jury are
  not required to agree unanimously on the specific conduct in which
  the defendant engaged that constituted an offense under Section
  22.01(a)(1) against the person or persons described by Subsection
  (a), [or] the exact date when that conduct occurred, or the county
  in which each instance of the conduct occurred. The jury must agree
  unanimously that the defendant, during a period that is 12 months or
  less in duration, two or more times engaged in conduct that
  constituted an offense under Section 22.01(a)(1) against the person
  or persons described by Subsection (a).
         SECTION 4.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
  an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. 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 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1661 was passed by the House on April
  17, 2019, by the following vote:  Yeas 143, Nays 0, 2 present, not
  voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1661 was passed by the Senate on May
  21, 2019, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate    
  APPROVED:  _____________________
                     Date          
   
            _____________________
                   Governor