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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to compensation under the Crime Victims' Compensation Act |
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for damages to real property suffered as a result of a person |
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evading arrest or detention. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Articles 56.32(a)(4), (9), and (11), Code of |
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Criminal Procedure, are amended to read as follows: |
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(4) "Criminally injurious conduct" means conduct |
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that: |
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(A) occurs or is attempted; |
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(B) poses a substantial threat of personal injury |
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or death; |
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(C) is punishable by fine, imprisonment, or |
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death, or would be punishable by fine, imprisonment, or death if the |
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person engaging in the conduct possessed capacity to commit the |
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conduct; and |
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(D) does not arise out of the ownership, |
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maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle, aircraft, or water vehicle, |
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unless the conduct is: |
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(i) intended to cause personal injury or |
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death; |
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(ii) [or the conduct is] in violation of |
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Section 545.157 or 545.401, Transportation Code, if the conduct |
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[and] results in bodily injury or death; |
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(iii) [, or is] in violation of Section |
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550.021, Transportation Code; or |
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(iv) in violation of[, or] one or more of |
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the following sections of the Penal Code: |
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(a) [(i)] Section 19.04 |
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(manslaughter); |
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(b) [(ii)] Section 19.05 (criminally |
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negligent homicide); |
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(c) [(iii)] Section 22.02 (aggravated |
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assault); |
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(d) [(iv)] Section 22.05 (deadly |
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conduct); |
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(e) Section 38.04 (evading arrest or |
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detention), if the conduct involved the use of a vehicle as defined |
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by that section; |
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(f) [(v)] Section 49.04 (driving |
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while intoxicated); |
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(g) [(vi)] Section 49.05 (flying |
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while intoxicated); |
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(h) [(vii)] Section 49.06 (boating |
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while intoxicated); |
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(i) [(viii)] Section 49.07 |
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(intoxication assault); or |
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(j) [(ix)] Section 49.08 |
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(intoxication manslaughter). |
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(9) "Pecuniary loss" means the amount of expense |
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reasonably and necessarily incurred as a result of: |
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(A) personal injury or death for: |
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(i) [(A)] medical, hospital, nursing, or |
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psychiatric care or counseling, or physical therapy; |
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(ii) [(B)] actual loss of past earnings and |
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anticipated loss of future earnings and necessary travel expenses |
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because of: |
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(a) [(i)] a disability resulting from |
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the personal injury; |
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(b) [(ii)] the receipt of medically |
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indicated services related to the disability resulting from the |
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personal injury; or |
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(c) [(iii)] participation in or |
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attendance at investigative, prosecutorial, or judicial processes |
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related to the criminally injurious conduct and participation in or |
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attendance at any postconviction or postadjudication proceeding |
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relating to criminally injurious conduct; |
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(iii) [(C)] care of a child or dependent; |
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(iv) [(D)] funeral and burial expenses, |
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including, for an immediate family member or household member of |
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the victim, the necessary expenses of traveling to and attending |
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the funeral; |
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(v) [(E)] loss of support to a dependent, |
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consistent with Article 56.41(b)(5); |
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(vi) [(F)] reasonable and necessary costs |
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of cleaning the crime scene; |
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(vii) [(G)] reasonable replacement costs |
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for clothing, bedding, or property of the victim seized as evidence |
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or rendered unusable as a result of the criminal investigation; |
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(viii) [(H)] reasonable and necessary |
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costs, as provided by Article 56.42(d), incurred by a victim of |
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family violence or a victim of sexual assault who is assaulted in |
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the victim's place of residence for relocation and housing rental |
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assistance payments; |
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(ix) [(I)] for an immediate family member |
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or household member of a deceased victim, bereavement leave of not |
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more than 10 work days; and |
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(x) [(J)] reasonable and necessary costs of |
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traveling to and from a place of execution for the purpose of |
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witnessing the execution, including one night's lodging near the |
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place at which the execution is conducted; and |
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(B) damage to the victim's real property that is |
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caused by criminally injurious conduct described by Subdivision |
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(4)(D)(iv)(e). |
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(11) "Victim" means[, except as provided by Subsection
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(c)]: |
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(A) an individual who: |
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(i) suffers personal injury or death as a |
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result of criminally injurious conduct or as a result of actions |
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taken by the individual as an intervenor, if the conduct or actions |
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occurred in this state; and |
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(ii) is a resident of this state, another |
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state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the |
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Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a possession or territory of the |
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United States; |
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(B) an individual who: |
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(i) suffers personal injury or death as a |
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result of criminally injurious conduct or as a result of actions |
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taken by the individual as an intervenor, if the conduct or actions |
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occurred in a state or country that does not have a crime victims' |
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compensation program that meets the requirements of Section |
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1403(b), [Crime] Victims of Crime [Compensation] Act of 1984 (42 |
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U.S.C. Section 10602(b)); |
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(ii) is a resident of this state; and |
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(iii) would be entitled to compensation |
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under this subchapter if the criminally injurious conduct or |
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actions had occurred in this state; [or] |
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(C) an individual who: |
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(i) suffers personal injury or death as a |
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result of criminally injurious conduct caused by an act of |
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international terrorism as defined by 18 U.S.C. Section 2331 |
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committed outside of the United States; and |
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(ii) is a resident of this state; or |
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(D) an individual who, as a result of criminally |
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injurious conduct described by Subdivision (4)(D)(iv)(e), suffers |
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damages to real property located in this state and owned by the |
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individual. |
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SECTION 2. Article 56.34(b), Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(b) The attorney general[,] shall establish whether, as a |
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direct result of criminally injurious conduct, a claimant or victim |
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suffered: |
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(1) personal injury or death that resulted in a |
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pecuniary loss for which the claimant or victim is not compensated |
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from a collateral source; or |
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(2) damages to real property, if the criminally |
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injurious conduct is conduct described by Article |
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56.32(a)(4)(D)(iv)(e). |
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SECTION 3. Article 56.36(b), Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(b) An application must be verified and must contain: |
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(1) the date on which the criminally injurious conduct |
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occurred; |
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(2) a description of the nature and circumstances of |
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the criminally injurious conduct; |
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(3) a complete financial statement, including: |
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(A) the cost of medical care or burial expenses |
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and the loss of wages or support the claimant or victim has incurred |
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or will incur; [and] |
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(B) the damages to real property suffered by the |
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claimant or victim as a result of criminally injurious conduct |
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described by Article 56.32(a)(4)(D)(iv)(e); and |
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(C) the extent to which the claimant or victim |
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has been indemnified from a collateral source for the [those] |
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expenses or damages described by Paragraphs (A) and (B) [from a
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collateral source]; |
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(4) if appropriate, a statement indicating the extent |
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of a disability resulting from the injury incurred; |
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(5) an authorization permitting the attorney general |
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to verify the contents of the application; and |
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(6) other information the attorney general requires. |
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SECTION 4. Article 56.42, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended by adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows: |
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(b-1) Awards payable to a victim and all other claimants |
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sustaining pecuniary loss because of damages to real property as a |
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result of criminally injurious conduct described by Article |
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56.32(a)(4)(D)(iv)(e) may not exceed $50,000 in the aggregate. |
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SECTION 5. Article 56.48(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Not later than the 40th day after the attorney general |
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renders a final decision, a claimant or victim may file with the |
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attorney general a notice of dissatisfaction with the decision. |
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Not later than the 40th day after the claimant or victim gives |
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notice, the claimant or victim shall bring suit in the district |
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court having jurisdiction in the county in which: |
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(1) the injury or death occurred; |
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(2) the victim resided at the time the injury or death |
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occurred; [or] |
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(3) if the victim resided out of state at the time of |
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the injury or death, in the county where the injury or death |
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occurred or in a district court of Travis County; or |
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(4) the real property is located, if the criminally |
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injurious conduct is described by Article 56.32(a)(4)(D)(iv)(e) |
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and resulted in pecuniary loss with respect to the property. |
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SECTION 6. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to a victim of a criminal offense committed or a violation that |
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occurs on or after the effective date of this Act. A criminal |
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offense committed or a violation that occurs before the effective |
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date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the |
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offense was committed or the violation occurred, and the former law |
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is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this |
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section, a criminal offense was committed or a violation occurred |
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before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense |
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or violation occurred before that date. |
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SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |