By: Sims, Shapiro S.B. No. 949 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to authorizing county commissioners to ban the 1-2 introduction of contraband into county jails; providing a penalty. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 351, Local Government Code, 1-5 is amended by adding Section 351.045 to read as follows: 1-6 Sec. 351.045. CONTRABAND. (a) The commissioners court of a 1-7 county by order may prohibit the introduction of contraband into 1-8 the county jail or a county correctional facility. 1-9 (b) The commissioners court may designate an item as 1-10 contraband only if the sheriff agrees in writing to the designation 1-11 and if the item is: 1-12 (1) a tobacco product such as a cigar, cigarette, 1-13 snuff, or a similar product prepared for smoking, chewing, or 1-14 dipping or is an accessory to a tobacco product such as matches; or 1-15 (2) by its nature a threat to the health or safety of 1-16 an inmate or an employee of the jail or correctional facility and 1-17 is not an item listed in Section 38.09 or 38.11, Penal Code. 1-18 (c) The sheriff shall post at each entrance to the county 1-19 jail or county correctional facility a copy of the order listing 1-20 the items that are contraband and a statement that a person 1-21 introducing or attempting to introduce a listed item into the jail 1-22 or facility commits an offense. 1-23 (d) A person who introduces or attempts to introduce 1-24 contraband into a county jail or county correctional facility 2-1 commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a Class C 2-2 misdemeanor. 2-3 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 2-4 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-5 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-6 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-7 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-8 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-9 passage, and it is so enacted.