1-1 By: Danburg (Senate Sponsor - Patterson) H.B. No. 126 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1997; 1-3 May 6, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal 1-4 Justice; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the time of the day at which a defendant confined on 1-9 conviction of a misdemeanor discharges the sentence of confinement. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Article 43.13, Code of Criminal Procedure, is 1-12 amended to read as follows: 1-13 Art. 43.13. DISCHARGE OF DEFENDANT. (a) A defendant who 1-14 has remained in jail the length of time required by the judgment 1-15 and sentence shall be discharged. The sheriff shall return the 1-16 copy of the judgment and sentence, or the capias under which the 1-17 defendant was imprisoned, to the proper court, stating how it was 1-18 executed. 1-19 (b) A defendant convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to 1-20 a term of confinement of more than 30 days discharges the 1-21 defendant's sentence at any time between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 1-22 p.m. on the day of discharge. 1-23 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-24 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-25 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-26 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-27 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-28 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-29 * * * * *