By Carter                                             H.B. No. 2425
       74R6616 MJW-F
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the acceptance of the retrocession of jurisdiction over
    1-3  land owned by the United States of America to this state.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  PURPOSE; FINDINGS.  The purpose of this Act is to
    1-6  authorize the governor to consider and accept a retrocession
    1-7  jurisdictional grant of federal lands by the United States of
    1-8  America for law enforcement purposes.  The legislature finds that
    1-9  an offender caught committing certain crimes within a federal
   1-10  enclave may be more efficiently prosecuted in the state criminal
   1-11  court system than in the federal system and that the sharing of
   1-12  criminal administrative powers furthers the public interest.
   1-13        SECTION 2.  GOVERNOR AUTHORIZED TO ACCEPT RETROCESSION OF
   1-14  FEDERAL JURISDICTION.  The governor may accept from the United
   1-15  States of America the retrocession of jurisdiction, in whole or in
   1-16  part, of land in this state that  is owned by the United States of
   1-17  America, if the governor finds that accepting the retrocession of
   1-18  jurisdiction is in the best interests of this state.
   1-19        SECTION 3.  FILING OF ACCEPTANCE OR DECLINATION WITH
   1-20  SECRETARY OF STATE.  If an authorized agent of the government of
   1-21  the United States of America notifies this state in writing that
   1-22  the United States wishes to retrocede jurisdiction of land in this
   1-23  state to this state, the governor shall accept or decline the
   1-24  retrocession of jurisdiction in writing and shall file the
    2-1  acceptance or declination with the secretary of state.  If the
    2-2  governor accepts the retrocession of jurisdiction, the acceptance
    2-3  is effective on filing the acceptance with the secretary of state.
    2-4        SECTION 4.  EMERGENCY.  The importance of this legislation
    2-5  and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-6  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-7  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-8  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    2-9  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-10  passage, and it is so enacted.