Bill Text: TX HB4134 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Comm Sub


Bill Title: Relating to the creation of the criminal offense of engaging in organized election fraud activity.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-05-06 - Committee report sent to Calendars [HB4134 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-HB4134-Comm_Sub.html
  85R27995 ATP-F
 
  By: Fallon H.B. No. 4134
 
  Substitute the following for H.B. No. 4134:
 
  By:  Laubenberg C.S.H.B. No. 4134
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the creation of the criminal offense of engaging in
  organized election fraud activity.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 276, Election Code, is amended by adding
  Sections 276.011 and 276.012 to read as follows:
         Sec. 276.011.  ENGAGING IN ORGANIZED ELECTION FRAUD
  ACTIVITY. (a) A person commits an offense if, with the intent to
  establish, promote, maintain, benefit from, or participate in a
  vote harvesting organization, the person commits, attempts to
  commit, or conspires to commit one or more offenses under Titles 1
  through 7.
         (b)  An offense under this section is one category higher
  than the most serious offense listed in Subsection (a) that is
  committed, and if the most serious offense is a Class A misdemeanor,
  the offense is a state jail felony.
         (c)  At the punishment stage of a trial, the defendant may
  raise the issue as to whether in voluntary and complete
  renunciation of the offense the defendant withdrew from the vote
  harvesting organization before commission of an offense listed in
  Subsection (a) and made substantial effort to prevent the
  commission of the offense. If the defendant proves the issue in the
  affirmative by a preponderance of the evidence the offense is the
  same category of offense as the most serious offense listed in
  Subsection (a) that is committed.
         (d)  In this section, "vote harvesting organization" means
  three or more persons who collaborate in unlawful vote generating
  or accumulating activities, although participants may not know each
  other's identity, membership in the organization may change from
  time to time, and participants may stand in a candidate-consultant,
  donor-consultant, consultant-field operative, or other arm's
  length relationship in the organization's unlawful vote generating
  or accumulating operations.
         (e)  For purposes of this section, "conspires to commit"
  means that a person agrees with one or more persons that they or one
  or more of them engage in conduct that would constitute the offense
  and that person and one or more of them perform an overt act in
  pursuance of the agreement. An agreement constituting conspiring
  to commit may be inferred from the acts of the parties.
         Sec. 276.012.  LIABILITY FOR ENGAGING IN ORGANIZED ELECTION
  FRAUD ACTIVITY. (a)  In this section, "organized election fraud
  activity" means an offense under Section 276.011(a).
         (b)  A person who engages in, or intentionally or knowingly
  benefits from, organized election fraud activity is liable to a
  candidate or other person harmed by the activity as provided by this
  section.
         (c)  It is not a defense to liability under this section that
  a defendant has been acquitted or has not been prosecuted or
  convicted for an offense under this code, or has been convicted of a
  different offense or of a different type or class of offense, for
  the conduct that is alleged to give rise to liability under this
  section. 
         (d)  A claimant who prevails in a suit under this section
  shall be awarded:
               (1)  actual damages caused by the prohibited conduct; 
               (2)  $1,000 for each offense committed under Titles 1
  through 7; 
               (3)  court costs; and
               (4)  reasonable attorney's fees.
         (e)  The cause of action created by this chapter is
  cumulative of any other remedy provided by common law or statute.
         (f)  A person who engages in or intentionally or knowingly
  benefits from organized election fraud activity and is found liable
  under this section or other law for any amount of damages arising
  from the activity is jointly liable with any other defendant for the
  entire amount of damages arising from the organized election fraud
  activity.
         (g)  A civil action or proceeding under this section against
  any person may be brought in the county where any part of the
  activity occurred.
         (h)  This section shall be liberally construed and applied to
  promote its underlying purpose to protect candidates against
  unlawful organized election fraud activity and to provide efficient
  and economical procedures to secure that protection.
         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 when 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, 2017.
feedback