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HB26-1290 • 2026

Criminal Offense of Assault

The act requires a court to sentence a defendant convicted of second degree assault by strangulation in an enhanced range as a crime of violence subject to mandatory incarceration if the defendant has

Crime Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Rep. M. Duran, Rep. A. Hartsook, Sen. L. Frizell, Sen. D. Roberts, Rep. A. Boesenecker, Rep. J. Caldwell, Rep. C. Clifford, Rep. A. Flanell, Rep. R. Gonzalez, Rep. R. Keltie, Rep. S. Lieder, Rep. J. McCluskie, Rep. C. Richardson, Rep. M. Rutinel, Rep. S. Slaugh, Rep. R. Weinberg, Rep. D. Woog, Sen. S. Bright, Sen. J. Carson, Sen. M. Catlin, Sen. J. Coleman, Sen. B. Kirkmeyer, Sen. C. Kolker, Sen. W. Lindstedt, Sen. L. Liston, Sen. B. Pelton, Sen. R. Pelton, Sen. C. Simpson, Sen. K. Wallace, Sen. L. Zamora Wilson
Last action
2026-05-27
Official status
Governor Signed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The source states a previous conviction must be set forth in legal documents but does not explicitly assign this duty to prosecutors.

Stricter Sentencing for Repeat Strangulation Assault

This law requires courts to give longer prison sentences with mandatory jail time to people convicted of second-degree assault by strangulation if they have been previously convicted of the same crime.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires a court to sentence repeat offenders in an enhanced range for second-degree assault by strangulation.
  • Classifies this offense as a crime of violence when it involves a prior conviction.
  • Mandates that defendants receive incarceration time if they have a previous conviction for the same act.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Defendants convicted of second-degree assault by strangulation who have a prior conviction for the same crime.
  • Courts that must apply these specific sentencing rules.

Terms To Know

Enhanced range
A sentence length that is longer than the standard punishment for a crime.
Mandatory incarceration
A requirement that the defendant must serve time in jail or prison with no option to avoid it.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This law only applies if the defendant has been previously convicted of second-degree assault by strangulation.
  • The specific length of time for the enhanced sentence is not detailed in this summary text.
  • The effective date for when these rules begin is not listed in the provided information.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.003

HOU Judiciary

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment removes the parts of the bill that would have created new rules for assaulting public servants and medical care providers.

  • Deletes all text on page 2, lines 2 through 14, which likely contained definitions or requirements related to specific victims.
  • Removes a reference to subsection (2)(c)(II) from the list of conditions for sentencing enhancements.
  • Strikes out language describing how someone intentionally causes harm while performing a lawful duty on page 3.
  • Updates the bill's title by removing the phrase about changing requirements for assaulting public servants and medical care providers.
  • The amendment text only shows what words are being removed or changed, not the full original sentences they were part of, so some context is missing.
  • Because large sections of the bill are deleted without showing replacement text, it is unclear if any new rules for these crimes remain in effect.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-27 Governor

    Governor Signed

  2. 2026-05-20 Governor

    Sent to the Governor

  3. 2026-05-20 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  4. 2026-05-20 House

    Signed by the Speaker of the House

  5. 2026-04-30 Senate

    Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  6. 2026-04-29 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments

  7. 2026-04-27 Senate

    Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Unamended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole

  8. 2026-04-23 Senate

    Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary

  9. 2026-04-21 House

    House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  10. 2026-04-17 House

    House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments

  11. 2026-04-16 House

    House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee

  12. 2026-03-27 House

    House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments

  13. 2026-03-24 House

    House Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole

  14. 2026-02-23 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary

Official Summary Text

The act requires a court to sentence a defendant convicted of second degree assault by strangulation in an enhanced range as a crime of violence subject to mandatory incarceration if the defendant has previously been convicted of second degree assault by strangulation. A previous conviction must be set forth in the complaint, indictment, or information for the present act.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)