By Kamel                                               H.B. No. 142

      75R693 GWK-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the authority of a parole officer to carry certain

 1-3     weapons.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 46.15, Penal Code, is amended to read as

 1-6     follows:

 1-7           Sec. 46.15.  NONAPPLICABILITY TO PEACE OFFICERS AND PAROLE

 1-8     OFFICERS.  Sections 46.02 and 46.03 do not apply to peace officers

 1-9     or to parole officers employed by the pardons and paroles division

1-10     of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and neither section

1-11     prohibits a peace officer or a parole officer from carrying a

1-12     weapon in this state, regardless of whether the officer is engaged

1-13     in the actual discharge of the officer's duties while carrying the

1-14     weapon.

1-15           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

1-16     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this

1-17     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before

1-18     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs

1-19     before the effective date.

1-20           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this

1-21     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

1-22     and the former law is continued in effect for this purpose.

1-23           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-24           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-1     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-2     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-3     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-4     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.