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H.B. No. 4996 AN ACT relating to increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of refusal to execute the release of a fraudulent lien or claim. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 32.49(c), Penal Code, is amended to read as follows: (c) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor, except that the offense is a felony of the third degree if the owner of the real or personal property subject to the fraudulent lien or claim is a person the actor knows is a public servant. SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. ______________________________ ______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I certify that H.B. No. 4996 was passed by the House on May 7, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 4, 2 present, not voting. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House I certify that H.B. No. 4996 was passed by the Senate on May 23, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 1. ______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: _____________________ Date _____________________ Governor
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