By Talton H.B. No. 2422
74R4046 GWK-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the authority of a court to order a defendant convicted
1-3 of a misdemeanor to pay restitution in lieu of a fine.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Article 42.037(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, is
1-6 amended to read as follows:
1-7 (a) In addition to <or, in the case of a misdemeanor, in
1-8 lieu of> any fine authorized by law, the court that sentences a
1-9 defendant convicted of an offense may order the defendant to make
1-10 restitution to any victim of the offense. If the court does not
1-11 order restitution or orders partial restitution under this
1-12 subsection, the court shall state on the record the reasons for not
1-13 making the order or for the limited order.
1-14 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
1-15 only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
1-16 Act. For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before
1-17 the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
1-18 before the effective date.
1-19 (b) An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-20 Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
1-21 and the former law is continued in effect for this purpose.
1-22 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
1-23 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
1-24 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-1 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-2 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-3 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.