Relating to creating the criminal offense of child endangerment involving smuggling across an international border.

HB 1983 creates a new criminal offense in Texas for parents, guardians, or legal custodians who knowingly pay others to transport a child across an international border in violation of law, resulting in the child being found without custody, at health risk, or abandoned/exploited. The bill defines "abandon" as leaving a child without reasonable care under circumstances where no reasonable person would do so. A violation is initially a state jail felony, escalating to a second-degree felony if the child suffers serious injury or a first-degree felony if the child dies. This proposed legislation specifically targets adult custodians who facilitate border crossings that endanger children, not the smuggling activity itself. The bill is pending legislative action and has not yet taken effect.