89R2131 CJD-F     By: González of El Paso H.B. No. 556       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to a criminal offense for the creation or distribution of   certain artificially generated media with the intent to influence   the outcome of an election.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Sections 255.004(d) and (e), Election Code, are   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 artificially generated media [a deep fake   video]; and                (2)  causes the artificially generated media [deep fake   video] to be published or distributed within 30 days of an election.          (e)  In this section, "artificially generated media" ["deep   fake video"] means an image, an audio recording, including a   recording of an individual's speech, a video recording, a radio   broadcast, or written text created or modified using generative   artificial intelligence technology or other computer software with   the intent to deceive[, that appears to depict a real person   performing an action that did not occur in reality].          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 at the   time 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.