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 * * * * *