Bill Text: TX HB314 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to prohibiting the death penalty for a defendant whose conviction is based solely on certain evidence.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-07 - No action taken in committee [HB314 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB314-Introduced.html
88R380 JRR-D | ||
By: Toth | H.B. No. 314 |
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relating to prohibiting the death penalty for a defendant whose | ||
conviction is based solely on certain evidence. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 1, Article 37.071, Code of Criminal | ||
Procedure, is amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as | ||
follows: | ||
(a-1) A defendant who is found guilty in a capital felony | ||
case may not be sentenced to death, and the state may not seek the | ||
death penalty, if the finding of guilt is based solely on the | ||
testimony of a single eyewitness without any corroborating | ||
evidence. | ||
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. |