By Naishtat                                           H.B. No. 2854
       74R6838 KLL-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the offense of coercion of a public servant.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 36.03(c), Penal Code, is amended to read
    1-5  as follows:
    1-6        (c)  <It is an exception to the application of> Subsection
    1-7  (a)(1) of this section does not apply to a <that the> person who:
    1-8              (1)  <influences or attempts to influence the public
    1-9  servant> is a member of the governing body of a governmental
   1-10  entity;
   1-11              (2)  acts<, and that the action that influences or
   1-12  attempts> to influence or attempts to influence another <the>
   1-13  public servant through <is> an official action, including
   1-14  deliberations by the governing body, taken by the person; and
   1-15              (3)  does not act with the specific intent to obtain or
   1-16  attempt to obtain a benefit for the person <member of the governing
   1-17  body.  For the purposes of this subsection, the term "official
   1-18  action" includes deliberations by the governing body of a
   1-19  governmental entity>.
   1-20        SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
   1-21  only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
   1-22  Act.  For the purposes of this section, an offense is committed
   1-23  before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
   1-24  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 that 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.