By Nelson                                              S.B. No. 896
       74R3300 DWS-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to a vehicle left unattended on a controlled access
    1-3  highway.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 5.01(2), Chapter 741, Acts of the 67th
    1-6  Legislature, Regular Session, 1981 (Article 4477-9a, Vernon's Texas
    1-7  Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
    1-8              (2)  "Abandoned motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle
    1-9  that is inoperable and more than five years old and left unattended
   1-10  on public property for more than 48 hours, or a motor vehicle that
   1-11  has remained illegally on public property for a period of more than
   1-12  48 hours, or a motor vehicle that has remained on private property
   1-13  without the consent of the owner or person in control of the
   1-14  property for more than 48 hours, or a motor vehicle left unattended
   1-15  on the right-of-way of a designated county, state, or federal
   1-16  highway within this state for more than 48 hours or for more than
   1-17  12 hours on:
   1-18                    (A)  a turnpike project constructed and
   1-19  maintained by the Texas Turnpike Authority; or
   1-20                    (B)  a controlled access highway, as defined by
   1-21  Section 13, Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways (Article
   1-22  6701d, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes).
   1-23        SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
   1-24  to a motor vehicle that becomes unattended on or after the
    2-1  effective date of this Act.  A motor vehicle that became unattended
    2-2  before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in
    2-3  effect when the motor vehicle became unattended, and that law is
    2-4  continued in effect for that purpose.
    2-5        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    2-6        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-7  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-8  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-9  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-10  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.