Bill Text: TX SB21 | 2025 | 89th Legislature 1st Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the authority of a county attorney or district attorney to enforce human trafficking awareness and prevention in commercial lodging establishments.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-07-14 - Filed [SB21 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-SB21-Introduced.html
| 89S10285 MLH-D | ||
| By: Blanco | S.B. No. 21 | |
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| relating to the authority of a county attorney or district attorney | ||
| to enforce human trafficking awareness and prevention in commercial | ||
| lodging establishments. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 114.0102, Business & Commerce Code, is | ||
| amended to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 114.0102. OPPORTUNITY TO CURE. If the attorney | ||
| general or the county or district attorney of the county in which a | ||
| commercial lodging establishment is located has reason to believe | ||
| an operator of a commercial lodging establishment has violated this | ||
| chapter, the attorney general, county attorney, or district | ||
| attorney shall provide written notice to the operator that: | ||
| (1) describes the operator's violation; | ||
| (2) states that the commercial lodging establishment | ||
| may be liable for a civil penalty if the operator does not cure the | ||
| violation before the 30th day after the date the operator receives | ||
| the notice; and | ||
| (3) includes the maximum potential civil penalty that | ||
| may be imposed for the violation. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 114.0104, Business & Commerce Code, is | ||
| amended to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 114.0104. ACTION BY ATTORNEY GENERAL OR COUNTY OR | ||
| DISTRICT ATTORNEY. (a) The attorney general or a county attorney | ||
| or district attorney may bring an action in the name of the state: | ||
| (1) to recover a civil penalty imposed under Section | ||
| 114.0103; or | ||
| (2) for injunctive relief to require compliance with | ||
| this chapter. | ||
| (b) An action under this section by the attorney general may | ||
| be brought in a district court in: | ||
| (1) Travis County; or | ||
| (2) a county in which any part of the violation or | ||
| threatened violation occurs. | ||
| (b-1) A county attorney or district attorney shall notify | ||
| the attorney general before bringing an action under this section. | ||
| Notice under this subsection must be in a form and manner prescribed | ||
| by the attorney general. | ||
| (b-2) An action under this section by a county attorney or | ||
| district attorney shall be brought in a district court in a county | ||
| in which any part of the violation or threatened violation occurs. | ||
| (c) The attorney general, county attorney, or district | ||
| attorney may recover reasonable expenses incurred in obtaining | ||
| injunctive relief or a civil penalty under this section, including | ||
| court costs, reasonable attorney's fees, and investigatory costs. | ||
| (d) A civil penalty recovered by a county attorney or | ||
| district attorney under this section is payable to the county in | ||
| which the district court that heard the action is located. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the | ||
| last day of the legislative session. | ||
