By Madden                                              H.B. No. 196
       74R414 GWK-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the effect of awards of good conduct time on
    1-3  eligibility for release on parole or mandatory supervision.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 8(b)(5), Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
    1-6  Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
    1-7              (5)  Except as provided by Subsection (m) of this
    1-8  section, all other prisoners shall be eligible for release on
    1-9  parole when their actual calendar time served, without the
   1-10  consideration of <plus> good conduct time, equals one-fourth of the
   1-11  maximum sentence imposed or 15 years, whichever is less.
   1-12        SECTION 2.  (a)  Section 8(c), Article 42.18, Code of
   1-13  Criminal Procedure, is repealed.
   1-14        (b)  Chapter 498, Government Code, is repealed.
   1-15        SECTION 3.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
   1-16  only to a defendant sentenced for an offense committed on or after
   1-17  the effective date of this Act.  For purposes of this section, an
   1-18  offense is committed before the effective date of this Act if any
   1-19  element of the offense occurs before the effective date.
   1-20        (b)  A defendant sentenced for an offense committed before
   1-21  the effective date of this Act is covered by the law in effect when
   1-22  the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in
   1-23  effect for that purpose.
   1-24        SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-1        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-2  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-3  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-4  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-5  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.