Bill > SB615

This bill modifies the statute of limitations for sexual assault and related offenses in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. The key change eliminates the previous time-based restrictions for prosecuting sexual assault (Section 22.011) and aggravated sexual assault (Section 22.021) in the Penal Code, effectively creating a "no limitation" timeframe for these crimes. This means that sexual assault cases can be prosecuted at any time, regardless of when the offense occurred. The bill also removes a previous provision that allowed prosecution without time limits only under specific circumstances, such as when biological evidence was collected or when a defendant was suspected of multiple similar offenses. Additionally, the bill makes technical adjustments to the lettering and formatting of various criminal offense categories within the statute of limitations section. The changes will take effect on September 1, 2025, and will not retroactively apply to offenses whose prosecution was already time-barred before the effective date. This modification aims to provide more flexibility and opportunity for sexual assault survivors to seek justice, removing previous temporal barriers to prosecution.

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https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB615