1-1  By:  Ramsay (Senate Sponsor - Barrientos)             H.B. No. 2456
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House May 11, 1993;
    1-3  May 12, 1993, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
    1-4  Justice; May 25, 1993, reported favorably by the following vote:
    1-5  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 25, 1993, sent to printer.)
    1-6                            COMMITTEE VOTE
    1-7                          Yea     Nay      PNV      Absent 
    1-8        Whitmire           x                               
    1-9        Brown              x                               
   1-10        Nelson             x                               
   1-11        Sibley                                        x    
   1-12        Sims               x                               
   1-13        Turner             x                               
   1-14        West               x                               
   1-15                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
   1-16                                AN ACT
   1-17  relating to the operation of a toll-free crime stoppers telephone
   1-18  service for areas of the state not served by a local crime stoppers
   1-19  program.
   1-20        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-21        SECTION 1.  Chapter 414, Government Code, is amended by
   1-22  adding Section 414.012 to read as follows:
   1-23        Sec. 414.012.  TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE SERVICE.  The council
   1-24  shall establish and operate a toll-free telephone service and make
   1-25  the service accessible to persons residing in areas of the state
   1-26  not served by a local crime stoppers program for reporting to the
   1-27  council information about criminal acts.  The toll-free service
   1-28  must be available between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. Monday
   1-29  through Thursday and from 5 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m.  Monday.  The
   1-30  council shall forward the information received to appropriate law
   1-31  enforcement agencies or local crime stoppers program.
   1-32        SECTION 2.  Article 102.013(g), Code of Criminal Procedure,
   1-33  is amended to read as follows:
   1-34        (g)  The legislature shall appropriate funds from the crime
   1-35  stoppers assistance account to the Criminal Justice Division of the
   1-36  Governor's Office.  The Criminal Justice Division may use 10
   1-37  percent of the funds for the operation of the toll-free telephone
   1-38  service under Section 414.012, Government Code, and shall
   1-39  distribute the remainder of the <these> funds only to local crime
   1-40  stoppers programs.  The Criminal Justice Division may adopt a
   1-41  budget and rules to implement the distribution of these funds.
   1-42        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-43  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-44  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-45  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-46  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   1-47  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   1-48  passage, and it is so enacted.
   1-49                               * * * * *
   1-50                                                         Austin,
   1-51  Texas
   1-52                                                         May 25, 1993
   1-53  Hon. Bob Bullock
   1-54  President of the Senate
   1-55  Sir:
   1-56  We, your Committee on Criminal Justice to which was referred H.B.
   1-57  No. 2456, have had the same under consideration, and I am
   1-58  instructed to report it back to the Senate with the recommendation
   1-59  that it do pass and be printed.
   1-60                                                         Whitmire,
   1-61  Chairman
   1-62                               * * * * *
   1-63                               WITNESSES
   1-64  No witnesses appeared on H.B. No. 2456.