H.B. No. 2662
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.