89R2156 MPF-D     By: González of El Paso H.B. No. 401       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to a criminal offense for creating and distributing   certain misleading videos with the intent to influence the outcome   of an election.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 255.004(d), Election Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (d)  A person commits an offense if the person, with intent   to injure a candidate or influence the result of an election:                (1)  creates a deep fake video; and                (2)  causes the deep fake video to be published or   distributed [within 30 days of an election].          SECTION 2.  Section 255.004, Election Code, as amended 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.