73R3580 DAK-D By De La Garza H.B. No. 722 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to authority of a law enforcement officer in Hidalgo 1-3 County to refer a child to the Hidalgo County court conference 1-4 committee. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 152, Human Resources Code, 1-7 is amended by adding Section 152.1142 to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 152.1142. HIDALGO COUNTY COURT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE. 1-9 (a) A law enforcement officer in Hidalgo County may refer to the 1-10 court conference committee a child who: 1-11 (1) has been charged with a Class C misdemeanor (first 1-12 offense only); 1-13 (2) is a status offender; or 1-14 (3) is a truant or runaway. 1-15 (b) This section does not affect: 1-16 (1) the authority of a law enforcement officer under 1-17 Title 3, Family Code; or 1-18 (2) the duty of a law enforcement officer to report a 1-19 case to a state or local child protective services agency. 1-20 (c) In this section: 1-21 (1) "Child" has the meaning assigned by Section 51.02, 1-22 Family Code. 1-23 (2) "Court conference committee" means the county 1-24 juvenile probation program's court conference committee. 2-1 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 2-2 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-3 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-4 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-5 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-6 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-7 passage, and it is so enacted.