1-1  By:  Henderson                                         S.B. No. 577
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed February 15, 1995; February 16, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;
    1-4  February 28, 1995, reported favorably, as amended, by the following
    1-5  vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; February 28, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6  COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                            By:  Henderson
    1-7  Amend S.B. No. 577 as follows:
    1-8        (1)  In SECTION 1, Subsection (a), Article 45.331, change the
    1-9  number "18" to "17".
   1-10        (2)  In SECTION 1, add a new Subsection (b) to Article 45.331
   1-11  to read as follows:
   1-12        "(b)  The court shall cause one or both parents or guardians
   1-13  to be summoned to appear in court and shall require one or both of
   1-14  them to be present during all proceedings in the case.  However,
   1-15  the court may waive the requirement of the presence of parents or
   1-16  guardians in any case in which, after diligent effort, the court is
   1-17  unable to locate them or to compel their presence."
   1-18        (3)  In SECTION 1, reletter existing Subsection "(b)" of
   1-19  Article 45.331 to be Subsection "(c)".
   1-20                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
   1-21                                AN ACT
   1-22  relating to pleas entered by a minor in justice or municipal court.
   1-23        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-24        SECTION 1.  Chapter 45, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
   1-25  amended by adding Article 45.331 to read as follows:
   1-26        Art. 45.331.  PLEA BY MINOR.  (a)  A plea of a defendant who
   1-27  is younger than 18 years of age and who has not had the
   1-28  disabilities of minority removed must be made in open court with
   1-29  the defendant's parent, guardian, or managing conservator present.
   1-30        (b)  If the defendant resides in a county other than the
   1-31  county in which the alleged offense occurred, the defendant may,
   1-32  with leave of the court, enter the plea, including a plea under
   1-33  Article 45.55, before a justice in the county in which the
   1-34  defendant resides.
   1-35        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-36        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-37  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-38  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-39  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-40  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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