bill making dog-fighting gear a state jail felony

The text as introduced · 331 words

90R3869 JDB-D

By: Anchía
H.B. No. 965

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the prosecution and punishment of the offense of dog

fighting; increasing a criminal penalty.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Sections 42.10(a) and (e), Penal Code, are

amended to read as follows:

(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally

or knowingly:

(1) causes a dog to fight with another dog;

(2) participates in the earnings of or operates a

facility used for dog fighting;

(3) uses or permits another to use any real estate,

building, room, tent, arena, or other property for dog fighting;

(4) owns , [ or ] possesses , manufactures, buys, sells,

barters, exchanges, advertises, or otherwise offers dog-fighting

equipment with the intent that the equipment be used to train a dog

for dog fighting or in furtherance of dog fighting;

(5) owns , [ or ] trains , or sells a dog with the intent

that the dog be used in an exhibition of dog fighting; or

(6) attends as a spectator an exhibition of dog

fighting.

(e) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, an

offense under this section is a state jail felony. An offense under

Subsection (a)(6) [ (a)(4), (5), or (6) ] is a Class A misdemeanor.

[ An offense under Subsection (a)(1), (2), or (3) is a state jail

felony. ]

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, 2027.