1-1  By:  Patterson                                         S.B. No. 228
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed January 16, 1995; January 18, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
    1-4  March 21, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 6,
    1-5  Nays 0; March 21, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to trial by jury in the adjudication of certain children.
    1-9        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-10        SECTION 1.  Subsection (c), Section 54.03, Family Code, is
   1-11  amended to read as follows:
   1-12        (c)  Trial shall be by jury unless jury is waived in
   1-13  accordance with Section 51.09 of this code.  Notwithstanding the
   1-14  waiver of a jury trial under Section 51.09 of this code, the court
   1-15  shall order trial by jury if requested by the prosecuting attorney.
   1-16  If the hearing is on a petition that has been approved by the grand
   1-17  jury under Section 53.045 of this code, the jury must consist of 12
   1-18  persons.  Jury verdicts under this title must be unanimous.
   1-19        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-20        SECTION 3.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
   1-21  only to the adjudication of a child for conduct that occurs on or
   1-22  after the effective date of this Act.  Conduct violating a penal
   1-23  law of the state occurs on or after the effective date of this Act
   1-24  if every element of the violation occurs on or after that date.
   1-25        (b)  Conduct that occurs before the effective date of this
   1-26  Act is covered by the law in effect at the time the conduct
   1-27  occurred, and the former law is continued in effect for that
   1-28  purpose.
   1-29        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-30  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-31  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-32  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-33  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
   1-34                               * * * * *