Texas Senate approves harsher punishments for corpse abuse

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Senate has approved a bill making abusing a dead body a felony punishable by at least six months in jail.
Under current law, abuse of a corpse is a state misdemeanor and mandates up to a year in jail and a maximum $4,000 fine. Republican Sen. Brian Birdwell’s proposal would make it a felony with a minimum penalty of six months behind bars and up to $10,000 in fines.
Birdwell said current punishments weren’t steep enough in cases where families ent