HB4672 - Relating to increasing the criminal penalty for continuous sexual abuse of a child who is younger than 14 years of age.

  89R16349 MEW-D     By: Lowe H.B. No. 4672       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to increasing the criminal penalty for continuous sexual   abuse of a child who is younger than 14 years of age.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 21.02, Penal Code, is amended by   amending Subsection (h) and adding Subsection (i) to read as   follows:          (h)   Except as provided by Subsection (i), an [ An ] offense   under this section is a felony of the first degree, punishable by   imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for life,   or for any term of not more than 99 years or less than 25 years.           (i)     An offense under this section is a felony of the first   degree punishable by imprisonment in the Texas Department of   Criminal Justice for life without parole if at least one act of   sexual abuse was committed against a victim who is younger than 14   years of age as described by Subsection (b)(2)(A). If the jury is   the trier of fact, members of the jury must agree unanimously that   the defendant committed an act of sexual abuse against a victim who   is younger than 14 years of age as described by Subsection   (b)(2)(A).          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, 2025.