Bill > HB2052

This bill amends the Texas Penal Code to increase minimum imprisonment terms for human trafficking offenses. Specifically, the bill establishes a mandatory 15-year minimum prison sentence for second-degree felony human trafficking offenses, and a 15-year minimum sentence for first-degree felony human trafficking offenses. First-degree felonies include trafficking involving children or disabled victims, causing serious bodily injury or death to the trafficked person, causing the death of an unborn child, using a deadly weapon during the offense, or intentionally impeding the victim's breathing or circulation. The bill also adds an enhanced penalty provision for trafficking offenses committed near specific locations like schools, juvenile facilities, youth shelters, and child-care centers, which can result in a life sentence or a term of 25 to 99 years in prison. The changes will only apply to offenses committed on or after the bill's effective date of September 1, 2025, and offenses committed before that date will be governed by the previous legal standards.