Bill > HB3157

This bill increases the criminal penalty for the offenses of violating the civil rights of and engaging in improper sexual activity with persons in custody. Specifically, it changes the offense of violating the civil rights of a person in custody from a Class A misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, and the offense of improper sexual activity with a person in custody from a state jail felony to a second-degree felony, or a first-degree felony if the victim is a juvenile in the custody of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or a correctional facility. The changes in law apply only to offenses committed on or after the effective date of the bill, which is September 1, 2021.