74R8651 DLF-F
          By Shields                                            H.B. No. 2794
          Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2794:
          By Shields                                        C.S.H.B. No. 2794
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to penalties for violation of certain insurance laws
    1-3  relating to licensing and regulation of life insurance counselors.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 7, Chapter 29, Acts of the 54th
    1-6  Legislature, Regular Session, 1955 (Article 21.07-2, Vernon's Texas
    1-7  Insurance Code), is amended to read as follows:
    1-8        Sec. 7.  VIOLATIONS; MISDEMEANOR; PENALTIES.  Any person who
    1-9  shall act as a Life Insurance Counselor, as defined herein, without
   1-10  having first obtained a license as herein provided, or who violates
   1-11  any of the provisions of this Act shall be guilty of a Class C
   1-12  misdemeanor <and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than
   1-13  Five Hundred Dollars ($500), or imprisoned not more than six
   1-14  months, or both>, each such violation being a separate offense
   1-15  hereunder.  In addition, if such offender holds a license
   1-16  hereunder, such license shall automatically expire upon such
   1-17  conviction and the offender shall be barred from license for a
   1-18  period of at least two (2) years.
   1-19        SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
   1-20  only to the punishment for an offense committed on or after the
   1-21  effective date of this Act.  For purposes of this section, an
   1-22  offense is committed before the effective date of this Act if any
   1-23  element of the offense occurs before the effective date.
    2-1        (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
    2-2  Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
    2-3  and the former law is continued in effect for this purpose.
    2-4        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-5        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-6  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-7  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-8  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-9  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.