By Montford                                            S.B. No. 447
       74R3808 DD-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the testimony of an accomplice in a criminal
    1-3  proceeding.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Article 38.14, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
    1-6  amended to read as follows:
    1-7        Art. 38.14.  TESTIMONY OF ACCOMPLICE.  A conviction may
    1-8  <cannot> be had upon the testimony of an accomplice without
    1-9  corroboration <unless corroborated> by other evidence tending to
   1-10  connect the defendant with the offense committed<; and the
   1-11  corroboration is not sufficient if it merely shows the commission
   1-12  of the offense>.
   1-13        SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
   1-14  only to testimony relating to an offense committed on or after the
   1-15  effective date of this Act.  For purposes of this section, an
   1-16  offense is committed before the effective date of this Act if any
   1-17  element of the offense occurs before that date.
   1-18        (b)  Testimony relating to an offense committed before the
   1-19  effective date of this Act is covered by the law in effect when the
   1-20  offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect
   1-21  for that purpose.
   1-22        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-23        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-24  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-1  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-2  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-3  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.