By Galloway, et al.                                    H.B. No. 521

         75R9302 GWK-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the punishment for the offense of burglary of a

 1-3     vehicle.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 30.04(c), Penal Code, is amended to read

 1-6     as follows:

 1-7           (c)  An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor

 1-8     unless it is shown on the trial of the offense that the defendant

 1-9     has been previously convicted of an offense under this section, in

1-10     which event the offense is a state jail felony.

1-11           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

1-12     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this

1-13     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before

1-14     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs

1-15     before the effective date.

1-16           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this

1-17     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

1-18     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.               

1-19           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-20           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-24     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.