Texas Penal Code, Title 8 CHAPTER 37. PERJURY AND OTHER FALSIFICATION

[arely staircase]

Sec. 37.10. TAMPERING WITH GOVERNMENTAL RECORD. (a) A person commits an offense if he(1) knowingly makes a false entry in, or false alteration of, a governmental record(2) makes, presents, or uses any record, document, or thing with knowledge of its falsity and with intent that it be taken as a genuine governmental record(3) intentionally destroys, conceals, removes, or otherwise impairs the verity, legibility, or availability of a governmental record(4) possesses, sells, or offers to sell a governmental record or a blank governmental record form with intent that it be used unlawfully(5) makes, presents, or uses a governmental record with knowledge of its falsity; or(6) possesses, sells, or offers to sell a governmental record or a blank governmental record form with knowledge that it was obtained unlawfully.(b) It is an exception to the application of Subsection (a)(3) that the governmental record is destroyed pursuant to legal authorization or transferred under Section 441.204, Government Code. With regard to the destruction of a local government record, legal authorization includes compliance with the provisions of Subtitle C, Title 6, Local Government Code.

Just sayin'

[NoPasaran]

1. I'm sure the Public Integrety Unit would get right on it

Except the Governor For Life vetoed their funding.

[arely staircase]

2. Would the Travis Co. DA not have jurisdiction?

nt

[NoPasaran]

4. PIU is part of her office

But funded by the state. Until recently.

[arely staircase]

8. but would the jurisdiction still not apply

allowing her to use her own (county) funds?

[NoPasaran]

9. Honestly I doubt it's a battle anyone wants to fight.

[leftynyc]

3. If Perry calls the legislature back

to vote on this, every single Democrat should call for the person who changed the record to be arrested. Time for hardball with these cretins.

[arely staircase]

5. I think the law was violated

someone needs to be arrested. maybe several somebodies who conspired to commit this crime.

[leftynyc]

16. And they have pictures

of it. I want the person who thought they could break the law to be very famous by the end of today.

[malthaussen]

6. In our dreams...

Just once before I die, I'd like to see these foul creatures brought to book for their malfeasance. Imagine the look of astonishment: "But... but... we've always pulled this shit!"

-- Mal

[AngryAmish]

7. That sort of thing is just laughed at in Illinois

Some years ago the White Sox were threatening to leave Chicago for Tampa. The team told the state that if the state did not build them a new stadium then they would leave. The Sox are super connected politically so of course the state was going to build them a stadium.

Except there was dissent. The session was due to be over a midnight, so the governor pulled the plug on the official clock and stopped time until they could bribe enough votes to pass the stadium bill.

Everyone jokes about it now.

[NoPasaran]

11. Stopping the clock before midnight used to happen in the Texas Lege as well

Before all these newfangled computer things got installed.

[rdking647]

10. ive been told tha texas senators have immunity

for their actions on the floor. I dont know if this is true or not.
either way whoever officially changed the record (maybe the clerk???) needs to be prosecuted

[arely staircase]

12. it would be the clerk I assume

nt

[LaydeeBug]

14. Huh? Whoever heard of giving people immunity from the laws they're passing. Funny that. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

13. No one will be arrested

Someone SHOULD be arrested.

But no one will be.

IOKIYAR

[Coyotl]

15. Here is the TX law page

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/PE/htm/PE.37.htm

Sec. 37.01. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:

(2) "Governmental record" means:

(B) anything required by law to be kept by others for information of government;

Sec. 37.10. TAMPERING WITH GOVERNMENTAL RECORD. (a) A person commits an offense if he:

(1) knowingly makes a false entry in, or false alteration of, a governmental record;

(2) makes, presents, or uses any record, document, or thing with knowledge of its falsity and with intent that it be taken as a genuine governmental record;

(3) intentionally destroys, conceals, removes, or otherwise impairs the verity, legibility, or availability of a governmental record;

.............

(c)(1) Except as provided by Subdivisions (2), (3), and (4) and by Subsection (d), an offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor unless the actor's intent is to defraud or harm another, in which event the offense is a state jail felony.

[arely staircase]

17. "someone has to change the database"

Internet Catches Texas Senate Altering Timestamp on Abortion Bill Vote






Neetzan Zimmerman PFollowOUnfollow 6/26/13 9:24am Today 9:24am g 25,685L 118Edit





After a half-day filibuster that was controversially halted by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Republicans in the Texas Senate scrambled to quickly pass the equally controversial abortion bill SB5, but were halted themselves by two hours of motions and parliamentary inquiries from Democrats trying to run out the clock on Gov. Rick Perry's special session.

In the end, it all came down to a last-minute vote that could barely be heard over the din of cheers from pro-choice activists gathered in the gallery.

But where did that last minute fall — before or after the bill's midnight deadline?


The Associated Press and several other large media outlets initially reported that the bill had passed, taking Lt. Gov. Dewhurst's word that the vote was taken "just before" 12 AM.

But Democratic State Senators and the tens of thousands who witnessed the vote live on a YouTube stream were skeptical.

As well they should have been.

Screengrabs of the official SB5 results page captured by several wonks clearly show the record vote was called after midnight local time, and was therefore dated 6/26.



But seconds later the results page was suddenly taken down, and when it returned, the vote's date had miraculously been altered to make it seem as though it had been cast in time — on 6/25.



So what happened? Did someone tamper with official state documents? It would seem so, and that's a crime.

As Technology Policy Analyst Kathy Gill notes over at The Moderate Vote:


In my experience (I’ve done web work since 1993 or so), pages like this one are automatically generated from a database file. In other words, a person doesn’t code the page.

In order to change something like this, someone has to change the database. And things like votes and official times, they’re often (usually?) automatically generated also.

In other words, changes like this are deliberate.

http://gawker.com/internet-catches-texas-senate-altering-timestamp-on-abo-584135789

[arely staircase]

18. Patsy Spaw - 512-463-0100

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023101680

[baldguy]

19. IOHIYAR

As always