TITLE: Relating to the prosecution of criminal offenses involving the trafficking of persons.

SUMMARY: Relating to the prosecution of criminal offenses involving the trafficking of persons.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to the prosecution of criminal offenses involving the trafficking of persons. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Article 13.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended to read as follows: Art. 13.12. TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS, FALSE IMPRISONMENT, KIDNAPPING, AND SMUGGLING OF PERSONS. (a) Venue for trafficking of persons, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and smuggling of persons is in: (1) the county in which the offense was committed; or (2) any county through, into, or out of which the person trafficked, falsely imprisoned, kidnapped, or transported may have been taken. (b) If a defendant commits an offense under Chapter 20A, Penal Code, that is part of a criminal episode, as defined by Section 3.01, Penal Code, all of the offenses arising out of the same criminal episode may be prosecuted in any county in which any offense in the criminal episode was committed. SECTION 2. Chapter 20A, Penal Code, is amended by adding Section 20A.015 to read as follows: Sec. 20A.015. PROSECUTION BY ATTORNEY GENERAL AUTHORIZED. (a) The attorney general may prosecute an offense under this chapter and any other offense arising out of the same criminal episode, as defined by Section 3.01. (b) The attorney general may appear before a grand jury in connection with an offense the attorney general is authorized to prosecute under this section. (c) The authority to prosecute prescribed by this section does not affect the authority derived from other law to prosecute the same offenses. SECTION 3. Article 13.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, as amended by this Act, and Section 20A.015, Penal Code, as added by this Act, apply only to the prosecution of an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. The prosecution of 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 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.