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 July 18, 2015 in 

From Texas Penal Code Section 43.02, effective September 1:

(a) A person commits an offense if, in return for receipt of a fee, the person knowingly:
(1) offers to engage, agrees to engage, or engages in sexual conduct; or
(2) solicits another in a public place to engage with the actor in sexual conduct for hire.
(b) A person commits an offense if, based on the payment of a fee by the actor or another person on behalf of the actor, the person knowingly:
(1) offers to engage, agrees to engage, or engages in sexual conduct; or
(2) solicits another in a public place to engage with the actor in sexual conduct for hire.
(b-1) An offense is established under Subsection (a) regardless of whether the actor is offered or actually receives the fee. An offense is established under Subsection (b) regardless of whether the actor or another person on behalf of the actor offers or actually pays the fee.

So if you engage in sexual conduct in return for receipt of a fee, you commit a crime regardless of whether you received or even were offered a fee.

We might guess what the Texas Legislature meant to do here:

An offense is established under Subsection (a) whether the actor is offered or actually receives the fee. An offense is established under Subsection (b) whether the actor or another person on behalf of the actor offers or actually pays the fee.

Unfortunately, elections select for neither writing ability nor intelligence, so we wind up with grammatical abominations such as this (thanks again, Joan Huffman!).

(H/T @TDCAA.)

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6 Comments

  1. nancy July 18, 2015 at 2:27 pm - Reply

    I need to smoke some crack just to understand this

  2. Franklin July 19, 2015 at 2:51 am - Reply

    Guess we should get as much in as possible while we still can.

  3. the other rob July 22, 2015 at 5:34 am - Reply

    It could only have been bettered (for some comedic value of “better”) if the idiots had used the non-word “irregrardless”.

  4. Quinn Martindale July 22, 2015 at 2:49 pm - Reply

    It looks like this was vetoed. HB 1363

  5. CJD July 23, 2015 at 8:17 am - Reply

    Well at least now I have an excuse not to pay for dinner….

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