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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to creating the criminal offenses of terrorism and |
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terroristic hoax. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Title 10, Penal Code, is amended by adding |
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Chapter 50 to read as follows: |
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CHAPTER 50. TERRORISM |
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Sec. 50.01. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "terrorist |
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organization" means any of the following: |
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(1) a domestic or foreign organization that engages or |
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prepares to engage in the planning, preparation, commission, or |
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support of an act of terrorism; |
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(2) a domestic or foreign organization that has the |
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capability and intent to engage in an act of terrorism; or |
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(3) an organization designated as a foreign terrorist |
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organization by the United States secretary of state as authorized |
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by 8 U.S.C. Section 1189. |
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Sec. 50.02. TERRORISM. (a) A person commits an offense if |
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the person commits one or more offenses under Section 20.03 or |
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engages in an act of violence that causes felony damage to property, |
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serious bodily injury, or death, or threatens to commit such an |
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offense, with the intent to: |
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(1) intimidate or coerce a civilian population to |
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further the objectives of a terrorist organization; |
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(2) influence the policy or conduct of the state |
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government by intimidation or coercion; |
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(3) support a broader ideological movement, including |
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a nonviolent movement, with the objective of overthrowing the state |
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government and replacing the existing form of government with a |
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form of government that is not based on the essential principles of |
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liberty; or |
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(4) retaliate for policy or conduct of the state |
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government by intimidation or coercion. |
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(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the first |
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degree. |
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Sec. 50.03. TERRORISTIC HOAX. (a) A person commits an |
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offense if the person knowingly simulates an offense under Section |
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50.02 as a prank and: |
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(1) intentionally uses a substance to cause fear, |
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intimidation, or anxiety in a person and to cause a reasonable |
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belief by the person that the substance is placed, sent, delivered, |
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or otherwise used as an act of biochemical or radiological |
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terrorism requiring an emergency response or the evacuation or |
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quarantine of a person, place, or item; or |
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(2) commits or threatens to commit an act of violence, |
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sabotage, felony damage to property, or serious bodily injury with |
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the intent to cause fear, intimidation, or anxiety in a person and a |
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reasonable belief by the person that the act or threat is an act of |
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terrorism to disrupt any place, population, or business in this |
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state or to disrupt the state government. |
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(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the first |
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degree. |
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SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An |
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offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed |
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by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the former |
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law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this |
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section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this |
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Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |