Art. 33.03. PRESENCE OF DEFENDANT.  In all prosecutions for felonies, the defendant must be personally present at the trial, and he must likewise be present in all cases of misdemeanor when the punishment or any part thereof is imprisonment in jail;  provided, however, that in all cases, when the defendant voluntarily absents himself after pleading to the indictment or information, or after the jury has been selected when trial is before a jury, the trial may proceed to its conclusion.  When the record in the appellate court shows that the defendant was present at the commencement, or any portion of the trial, it shall be presumed in the absence of all evidence in the record to the contrary that he was present during the whole trial.  Provided, however, that the presence of the defendant shall not be required at the hearing on the motion for new trial in any misdemeanor case.
Acts 1965, 59th Leg., p. 317, ch. 722, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1966.  Amended by Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 1832, ch. 745, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 27, 1979.