H.B. No. 242 introduces a new criminal offense related to the dissemination of personally identifiable voter information. The bill adds Section 276.0051 to the Election Code, making it an offense for any person to knowingly disseminate information that connects a voter to their individual ballot selections, thereby violating the voter's right to a secret ballot as protected under the Texas Constitution. The offense is classified as a felony of the third degree. There are exceptions to prosecution, including cases where the dissemination is performed by an election official in the course of their duties or occurs under a court order or with the voter's permission.

Additionally, the bill allows for consecutive sentencing if a person is convicted under this new section and is also found guilty of other related offenses arising from the same criminal episode. The changes in law will only apply to offenses committed on or after the effective date of the Act, which is set for September 1, 2025. Offenses committed prior to this date will be governed by the law in effect at that time.

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