By Naishtat, Combs                                    H.B. No. 2662
       74R7778 GWK-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the form of a person's name in an indictment.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Article 21.07, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
    1-5  amended to read as follows:
    1-6        Art. 21.07.  ALLEGATION OF NAME.  In alleging the name of the
    1-7  defendant, or of any other person necessary to be stated in the
    1-8  indictment, it shall be sufficient to state one or more of the
    1-9  initials of the given <Christian> name and the surname.  When a
   1-10  person is known by two or more names, it shall be sufficient to
   1-11  state either name.  When the name of the person is unknown to the
   1-12  grand jury, that fact shall be stated, and if it be the accused, a
   1-13  reasonably accurate description of him shall be given in the
   1-14  indictment.
   1-15        SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
   1-16  only to an indictment for an offense committed on or after the
   1-17  effective date of this Act.  For purposes of this section, an
   1-18  offense is committed before the effective date of this Act if any
   1-19  element of the offense occurs before that date.
   1-20        (b)  An indictment for an offense committed before the
   1-21  effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when
   1-22  the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in
   1-23  effect for this purpose.
   1-24        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-1        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-2  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-3  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-4  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-5  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.