By: Ratliff S.B. No. 1449 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to the identification of certain city and county vehicles. 1-2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-3 SECTION 1. Section 1, Chapter 235, Acts of the 56th 1-4 Legislature, Regular Session, 1959 (Article 6701m-2, Vernon's Texas 1-5 Civil Statutes), as amended by Chapters 121 and 1051, Acts of the 1-6 71st Legislature, Regular Session, 1989, is amended to read as 1-7 follows: 1-8 Sec. 1. On every city or county-owned motor vehicle and 1-9 piece of heavy equipment, there shall be printed upon each side the 1-10 name of the city or county, followed in letters that are plainly 1-11 legible at a distance of not less than 100 feet, the title of the 1-12 department or official having the custody of the vehicle or piece 1-13 of heavy equipment, and the inscription shall be in a color 1-14 sufficiently different from the body of the vehicle or piece of 1-15 heavy equipment so that the lettering shall be plainly legible, and 1-16 the official having control thereof shall have the wording placed 1-17 thereon as prescribed herein, and whoever drives any motor vehicle 1-18 or piece of heavy equipment belonging to any city or county upon 1-19 the streets of any town or city or upon a public highway without 1-20 the inscription printed thereon shall be fined not less than 1-21 Twenty-five Dollars ($25) nor more than One Hundred Dollars ($100). 1-22 Provided however, upon approval of the governing body in the case 1-23 of a city or the approval of the commissioners court in the case of 1-24 a county, that the provisions of this Section shall not apply to 2-1 automobiles used by police, sheriffs' and constables' departments, 2-2 the office of criminal district attorney, district attorney, or 2-3 county attorney, magistrates as defined by Article 2.09, Code of 2-4 Criminal Procedure, city or county arson investigators, or juvenile 2-5 probation department vehicles used to transport children, when used 2-6 for the purpose of performing official duties. This exception for 2-7 unmarked vehicles does not apply to "contract deputies". 2-8 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993. 2-9 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-10 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-11 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-12 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-13 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.