1-1     By:  Dunnam, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Sibley)          H.B. No. 515

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House March 19, 1997;

 1-3     March 24, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; April 30, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable

 1-5     Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0;

 1-6     April 30, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 515                   By:  Harris

 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-9                                   AN ACT

1-10     relating to the waiver of a trial by jury.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Article 1.13(c), Code of Criminal Procedure, is

1-13     amended to read as follows:

1-14           (c)  A defendant may agree to waive a jury trial regardless

1-15     of whether the defendant is represented by an attorney at the time

1-16     of making the waiver, but before [Before] a defendant charged with

1-17     a felony who has no attorney can agree to waive the jury, the court

1-18     must appoint an attorney to represent him.

1-19           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only

1-20     to the trial of an offense that commences on or after the effective

1-21     date of this Act, whether the trial is for an offense committed

1-22     before, on, or after the effective date of this Act.

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

1-24           SECTION 4.  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.

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