1-1     By:  Haggerty, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Shapleigh)     H.B. No. 641

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House March 17, 1997;

 1-3     March 18, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State

 1-4     Affairs; April 29, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 10, Nays 0; April 29, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the maximum value of a raffle prize.

 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-10           SECTION 1.  Sections 3(g) and (k), Charitable Raffle Enabling

1-11     Act (Article 179f, Revised Statutes), are amended to read as

1-12     follows:

1-13           (g)  A prize offered or awarded at the raffle may not be

1-14     money.  Except as provided by Subsection (k) of this section, the

1-15     value of a prize that is offered or awarded at the raffle and that

1-16     is purchased by the organization or for which the organization

1-17     provides any consideration may not exceed $50,000 [$25,000].

1-18           (k)  A prize may consist of one or more tickets in the state

1-19     lottery authorized by Chapter 466, Government Code [the State

1-20     Lottery Act (Article 179g, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), and its

1-21     subsequent amendments], with a face value of $50,000 [$25,000] or

1-22     less, without regard to whether a prize in the lottery game to

1-23     which the ticket or tickets relate exceeds $50,000 [$25,000].

1-24           SECTION 2.  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     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-30     passage, and it is so enacted.

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