By:  Nelson                                            S.B. No. 896
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to a vehicle left unattended on a controlled access
    1-2  highway.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Subdivision (2), Section 5.01, Chapter 741, Acts
    1-5  of the 67th Legislature, Regular Session, 1981 (Article 4477-9a,
    1-6  Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
    1-7              (2)  "Abandoned motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle
    1-8  that is inoperable and more than five years old and left unattended
    1-9  on public property for more than 48 hours, or a motor vehicle that
   1-10  has remained illegally on public property for a period of more than
   1-11  48 hours, or a motor vehicle that has remained on private property
   1-12  without the consent of the owner or person in control of the
   1-13  property for more than 48 hours, or a motor vehicle left unattended
   1-14  on the right-of-way of a designated county, state, or federal
   1-15  highway within this state for more than 48 hours or for more than
   1-16  12 hours on:
   1-17                    (A)  a turnpike project constructed and
   1-18  maintained by the Texas Turnpike Authority; or
   1-19                    (B)  a controlled access highway, as defined by
   1-20  Section 13, Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways (Article
   1-21  6701d, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes).
   1-22        SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
   1-23  to a motor vehicle that becomes unattended on or after the
   1-24  effective date of this Act.  A motor vehicle that became unattended
    2-1  before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in
    2-2  effect when the motor vehicle became unattended, and that law is
    2-3  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.