H.B. No. 1427
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the prosecution of the offense of harassment.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 42.07(a), Penal Code, is amended to read
  as follows:
         (a)  A person commits an offense if, with intent to harass,
  annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, or embarrass another, the person:
               (1)  initiates communication and in the course of the
  communication makes a comment, request, suggestion, or proposal
  that is obscene;
               (2)  threatens, in a manner reasonably likely to alarm
  the person receiving the threat, to inflict bodily injury on the
  person or to commit a felony against the person, a member of the
  person's family or household, or the person's property;
               (3)  conveys, in a manner reasonably likely to alarm
  the person receiving the report, a false report, which is known by
  the conveyor to be false, that another person has suffered death or
  serious bodily injury;
               (4)  causes the telephone of another to ring repeatedly
  or makes repeated telephone communications anonymously or in a
  manner reasonably likely to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment,
  embarrass, or offend another;
               (5)  makes a telephone call and intentionally fails to
  hang up or disengage the connection;
               (6)  knowingly permits a telephone under the person's
  control to be used by another to commit an offense under this
  section;
               (7)  sends repeated electronic communications in a
  manner reasonably likely to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment,
  embarrass, or offend another; [or]
               (8)  publishes on an Internet website, including a
  social media platform, repeated electronic communications in a
  manner reasonably likely to cause emotional distress, abuse, or
  torment to another person, unless the communications are made in
  connection with a matter of public concern; or
               (9)  makes obscene, intimidating, or threatening
  telephone calls or other electronic communications from a temporary
  or disposable telephone number provided by an Internet application
  or other technological means.
         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
  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 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1427 was passed by the House on May 2,
  2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 139, Nays 5, 3 present, not
  voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1427 was passed by the Senate on May
  18, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate    
  APPROVED:  _____________________
                     Date          
   
            _____________________
                   Governor