1-1  By:  Park (Senate Sponsor - Harris)                    H.B. No. 308
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House April 6, 1995;
    1-3  April 10, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on
    1-4  Criminal Justice; May 17, 1995, reported favorably, as amended, by
    1-5  the following vote:  Yeas 4, Nays 1; May 17, 1995, sent to
    1-6  printer.)
    1-7  COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                               By:  Harris
    1-8        Amend H.B. No. 308 in SECTION 1 of the bill in Article
    1-9  1.13(c), Code of Criminal Procedure (House engrossment, page 1,
   1-10  line 8), by striking "an offense punishable by fine only," and
   1-11  substituting "a misdemeanor,".
   1-12                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
   1-13                                AN ACT
   1-14  relating to the waiver of trial by jury by a defendant charged with
   1-15  an offense punishable by fine only.
   1-16        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-17        SECTION 1.  Article 1.13(c), Code of Criminal Procedure, is
   1-18  amended to read as follows:
   1-19        (c)  Before a defendant who has no attorney, other than a
   1-20  defendant charged with an offense punishable by fine only, can
   1-21  agree to waive the jury, the court must appoint an attorney to
   1-22  represent him.
   1-23        SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies to the
   1-24  trial of an offense that commences on or after the effective date
   1-25  of this Act.  A trial that commences before the effective date of
   1-26  this Act is covered by the law in effect when the trial commences,
   1-27  and the former law is continued in effect for this purpose.
   1-28        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-29        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-30  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-31  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-32  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-33  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
   1-34                               * * * * *