By West                                               H.B. No. 1079
       74R2994 GWK-F
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to prosecution of the offense of tampering with or
    1-3  fabricating physical evidence.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 37.09, Penal Code, is amended by adding
    1-6  Subsection (d) to read as follows:
    1-7        (d)  A person commits an offense if, knowing that an offense
    1-8  has been committed, he alters, destroys, or conceals any record,
    1-9  document, or thing with intent to impair its verity, legibility, or
   1-10  availability as evidence in any subsequent investigation of or
   1-11  official proceeding related to the offense.
   1-12        SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
   1-13  only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
   1-14  Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before
   1-15  the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
   1-16  before the effective date.
   1-17        (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
   1-18  Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
   1-19  and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
   1-20        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-21        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-22  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-23  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-24  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-1  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.