By Romo                                                H.B. No. 153
       74R1259 PB-F
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the employment of children; providing a criminal
    1-3  penalty.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 51.014, Labor Code, is amended by adding
    1-6  Subsection (d) to read as follows:
    1-7        (d)  In addition to any occupation declared to be hazardous
    1-8  under Subsection (a), the employment of a child to sell items or
    1-9  services for or solicit donations for any person other than a
   1-10  nonprofit organization between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. is a
   1-11  hazardous occupation for purposes of this chapter if the child is
   1-12  younger than 14 years of age and is unaccompanied by a parent,
   1-13  conservator, guardian, or other person who has possession of the
   1-14  child under a court order.
   1-15        SECTION 2.  Section 51.031, Labor Code, is amended to read as
   1-16  follows:
   1-17        Sec. 51.031.  OFFENSE; PENALTY.  An offense under this
   1-18  chapter is a Class A <C> misdemeanor.
   1-19        SECTION 3.  (a)  The change in law made by Section 2 of this
   1-20  Act applies only to the punishment for an offense committed on or
   1-21  after the effective date of this Act.  For purposes of this
   1-22  section, an offense is committed before the effective date of this
   1-23  Act if any element of the offense occurs before the effective date.
   1-24        (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
    2-1  Act is governed by the law in effect when the offense occurred, and
    2-2  the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
    2-3        SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-4        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-5  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-6  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-7  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-8  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.