1-1  By:  Munoz (Senate Sponsor - Lucio)                    H.B. No. 223
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House April 5, 1995;
    1-3  April 6, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on Health
    1-4  and Human Services; May 3, 1995, reported favorably by the
    1-5  following vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 3, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to missing children.
    1-9        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-10        SECTION 1.  Sections 79.001(1), (2), and (4), Human Resources
   1-11  Code, are amended to read as follows:
   1-12              (1)  "Child" means a person under 18 <17> years of age.
   1-13              (2)  "Missing person" means a person 18 <17> years old
   1-14  or older whose disappearance is possibly not voluntary.
   1-15              (4)  "Missing child" or "missing person" also includes
   1-16  a person of any age who is missing and:
   1-17                    (A)  is under proven physical or mental
   1-18  disability or is senile, and because of one or more of these
   1-19  conditions is subject to immediate danger or is a danger to others;
   1-20                    (B)  is in the company of another person or is in
   1-21  a situation the <under> circumstances of which indicate
   1-22  <indicating> that the missing child's or missing person's safety is
   1-23  in doubt; or
   1-24                    (C)  is unemancipated as defined by the law of
   1-25  this state.
   1-26        SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
   1-27  only to an individual for whom a missing child or missing person
   1-28  report, as that term is used by Chapter 79, Human Resources Code,
   1-29  is made on or after the effective date of this Act.
   1-30        (b)  An individual for whom a missing child or missing person
   1-31  report is made before the effective date of this Act is covered by
   1-32  the law in effect when the report was made, and the former law is
   1-33  continued in effect for that purpose.
   1-34        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-35        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-36  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-37  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-38  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-39  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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