By: Ratliff S.B. No. 1449 73R9884 MLR-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the identification of certain city and county vehicles. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Section 1, Chapter 235, Acts of the 56th 1-5 Legislature, Regular Session, 1959 (Article 6701m-2, Vernon's Texas 1-6 Civil Statutes), as amended by Chapters 121 and 1051, Acts of the 1-7 71st Legislature, Regular Session, 1989, is amended to read as 1-8 follows: 1-9 Sec. 1. On every city or county-owned motor vehicle and 1-10 piece of heavy equipment, there shall be printed upon each side the 1-11 name of the city or county, followed in letters that are plainly 1-12 legible at a distance of not less than 100 feet, the title of the 1-13 department or official having the custody of the vehicle or piece 1-14 of heavy equipment, and the inscription shall be in a color 1-15 sufficiently different from the body of the vehicle or piece of 1-16 heavy equipment so that the lettering shall be plainly legible, and 1-17 the official having control thereof shall have the wording placed 1-18 thereon as prescribed herein, and whoever drives any motor vehicle 1-19 or piece of heavy equipment belonging to any city or county upon 1-20 the streets of any town or city or upon a public highway without 1-21 the inscription printed thereon shall be fined not less than 1-22 Twenty-five Dollars ($25) nor more than One Hundred Dollars ($100). 1-23 Provided however, upon approval of the governing body in the case 1-24 of a city or the approval of the commissioners court in the case of 2-1 a county, that the provisions of this Section shall not apply to 2-2 automobiles used by police, sheriffs' and constables' departments, 2-3 the office of criminal district attorney, district attorney, or 2-4 county attorney, magistrates as defined by Article 2.09, Code of 2-5 Criminal Procedure, city or county arson investigators, or juvenile 2-6 probation department vehicles used to transport children, when used 2-7 for the purpose of performing official duties. This exception for 2-8 unmarked vehicles does not apply to "contract deputies". 2-9 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993. 2-10 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-11 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-12 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-13 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-14 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.