Texas Penal Code

§ 42.14 — ILLUMINATION OF AIRCRAFT BY INTENSE LIGHT

PE § 42.14Title 9. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND DECENCY · Ch. 42. DISORDERLY CONDUCT AND RELATED OFFENSES

Statute text

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(a)A person commits an offense if:

(1)the person intentionally directs a light from a laser pointer or other light source at an aircraft; and

(2)the light has an intensity sufficient to impair the operator's ability to control the aircraft.

(b)It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the actor was using the light to send an emergency distress signal.

(c)An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor unless the intensity of the light impairs the operator's ability to control the aircraft, in which event the offense is a Class A misdemeanor.

(d)If conduct that constitutes an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under any other law, the actor may be prosecuted under this section or the other law.

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Legislative history

Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 680 (H.B. 1586), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2007.