By De La Garza H.B. No. 2611
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the use of a safety belt.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 107C, Chapter 804, Acts of the 69th
1-5 Legislature, Regular Session, 1989, of Article 6701d, Vernon's
1-6 Texas Civil Statutes is amended to read as follows:
1-7 (a) In this section <"passenger car" includes a truck with a
1-8 manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of not more than 1,500
1-9 pounds.> a motor vehicle includes those vehicles that were
1-10 originally equipped by the manufacturer with safety belts. Safety
1-11 belt includes the lap belts and shoulder straps that were original
1-12 equipment in the motor vehicle. A safety belt does not include a
1-13 shoulder strap if the shoulder strap was not part of the original
1-14 equipment in the motor vehicle.
1-15 (b) A person commits an offense if the person:
1-16 (1) is at least 15 years old;
1-17 (2) is riding in the front seat of a <passenger car
1-18 while the car> motor vehicle while the motor vehicle is being
1-19 operated on a road, street, or highway of this state;
1-20 (3) is occupying a seat that is equipped with a safety
1-21 belt; and
1-22 (4) is not secured by a safety belt.
1-23 (c) A person commits an offense if the person:
2-1 (1) operates on a road, street, or highway of this
2-2 state a <passenger car> motor vehicle that is equipped with safety
2-3 belts; and
2-4 (2) allows a child who is at least four years old but
2-5 less than 15 years old to ride in the front seat of the <passenger
2-6 car> motor vehicle without requiring the child to be secured by a
2-7 safety belt.
2-8 (d) A <passenger car> motor vehicle or a seat in a
2-9 <passenger car> motor vehicle is deemed to be equipped with a
2-10 safety belt if the <passenger car> motor vehicle is required under
2-11 Section 139E of this Act to be equipped with safety belts.
2-12 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993, and
2-13 applies only to a person convicted of an offense committed on or
2-14 after the effective date of this Act. For purposes of this
2-15 section, an offense was committed or conduct was engaged in before
2-16 the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense or
2-17 conduct occurred before the effective date. An offense committed
2-18 or conduct engaged in before the effective date of this Act is
2-19 covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed or the
2-20 conduct was engaged in, and the former law is continued in effect
2-21 for this purpose.
2-22 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-23 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-24 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-25 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-1 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.