1-1  By:  Nelson                                            S.B. No. 896
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed March 2, 1995; March 6, 1995, read
    1-3  first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;
    1-4  March 29, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 13,
    1-5  Nays 0; March 29, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to a vehicle left unattended on a controlled access
    1-9  highway.
   1-10        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-11        SECTION 1.  Subdivision (2), Section 5.01, Chapter 741, Acts
   1-12  of the 67th Legislature, Regular Session, 1981 (Article 4477-9a,
   1-13  Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
   1-14              (2)  "Abandoned motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle
   1-15  that is inoperable and more than five years old and left unattended
   1-16  on public property for more than 48 hours, or a motor vehicle that
   1-17  has remained illegally on public property for a period of more than
   1-18  48 hours, or a motor vehicle that has remained on private property
   1-19  without the consent of the owner or person in control of the
   1-20  property for more than 48 hours, or a motor vehicle left unattended
   1-21  on the right-of-way of a designated county, state, or federal
   1-22  highway within this state for more than 48 hours or for more than
   1-23  12 hours on:
   1-24                    (A)  a turnpike project constructed and
   1-25  maintained by the Texas Turnpike Authority; or
   1-26                    (B)  a controlled access highway, as defined by
   1-27  Section 13, Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways (Article
   1-28  6701d, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes).
   1-29        SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
   1-30  to a motor vehicle that becomes unattended on or after the
   1-31  effective date of this Act.  A motor vehicle that became unattended
   1-32  before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in
   1-33  effect when the motor vehicle became unattended, and that law is
   1-34  continued in effect for that purpose.
   1-35        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-36        SECTION 4.  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.
   1-41                               * * * * *