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          A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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          AN ACT
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        relating to a defense to prosecution for the offense of possessing  | 
      
      
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        or carrying a firearm on the premises of a polling place. | 
      
      
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               BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
      
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               SECTION 1.  Section 46.03, Penal Code, is amended by  | 
      
      
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        amending Subsection (f) and adding Subsection (j) to read as  | 
      
      
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        follows: | 
      
      
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               (f)  Except as provided by Subsection (j), it [It] is not a  | 
      
      
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        defense to prosecution under this section that the actor possessed  | 
      
      
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        a handgun and was licensed to carry a concealed handgun under  | 
      
      
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        Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code. | 
      
      
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               (j)  It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(2)  | 
      
      
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        that the actor, while serving as an election judge or clerk  at the  | 
      
      
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        polling place, possessed a concealed handgun that the actor was  | 
      
      
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        licensed to carry under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only  | 
      
      
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        to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.  | 
      
      
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        An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is  | 
      
      
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        governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed,  | 
      
      
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        and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For  | 
      
      
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        purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the  | 
      
      
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        effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred  | 
      
      
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        before that date. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |