H.B. No. 1806

	AN ACT
	relating to fishing tournament fraud; providing penalties.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 66.119, Parks and Wildlife Code, is
	transferred to Subchapter A, Chapter 66, Parks and Wildlife Code,
	redesignated as Section 66.023, Parks and Wildlife Code, and
	amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 66.023  [66.119].  FRAUD IN [FRESHWATER] FISHING
	TOURNAMENTS. (a) In this section, "fishing tournament" means a
	contest in which a prize is to be awarded to one or more
	participants in the contest based on the weight, length, number, or
	type of [freshwater] fish caught by the participants or based on any
	other criteria applicable to the fish caught.
	(b)  A person commits an offense if, with intent to affect
	the outcome of a fishing tournament:
	(1)  the person provides, offers to provide, sells, or
	offers to sell a fish to a participant in the tournament for the
	purpose of representing that the fish was caught by the participant
	in the course of the tournament;
	(2)  the person, as a participant in the tournament,
	accepts or agrees to accept a fish from another person for the
	purpose of representing that the fish was caught by the participant
	in the course of the tournament; [or]
	(3)  the person, as a participant in the tournament,
	represents that a fish was caught by the person in the course of the
	tournament when in fact the fish was not caught by that person or
	the fish was not caught in the course of that tournament;
	(4)  the person alters the length or weight of a fish
	for the purpose of representing that the fish as entered in the
	tournament was that length or weight when caught; or
	(5)  the person enters a fish in the tournament that was
	taken in violation of any provision of this code or a proclamation
	or regulation of the commission adopted under this code.
	(c)  A person commits an offense if the person sponsors or
	conducts a fishing tournament and knows of the occurrence in the
	tournament of activity prohibited by Subsection (b) of this section
	and does not immediately notify a law enforcement officer
	commissioned by the director of its occurrence.
	(d)  An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor,
	except that if the offense occurred during a tournament in which any
	prize or combination of prizes to be awarded for any one category
	for which an award is given, whether the prize or prizes are to an
	individual or a team, is worth $10,000 or more in money or goods,
	the offense is a felony of the third degree.
	SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies 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
	covered by the law in effect when 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 was committed before that
	date.
	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, 2011.
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.B. No. 1806 was passed by the House on April
	18, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 142, Nays 4, 2 present, not
	voting.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	I certify that H.B. No. 1806 was passed by the Senate on May
	9, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 1.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	APPROVED:  _____________________
	Date
	_____________________
	Governor