By Bosse                                         H.B. No. 649

      75R3594 ESH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the use of unmarked motor vehicles by county fire

 1-3     marshals.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 721.005(b), Transportation Code, is

 1-6     amended to read as follows:

 1-7           (b)  The commissioners court of a county may exempt from the

 1-8     requirements of Section 721.004:

 1-9                 (1)  an automobile when used to perform an official

1-10     duty by a:

1-11                       (A)  police department;

1-12                       (B)  sheriff's office;

1-13                       (C)  constable's office;

1-14                       (D)  criminal district attorney's office;

1-15                       (E)  district attorney's office;

1-16                       (F)  county attorney's office; [or]

1-17                       (G)  magistrate as defined by Article 2.09, Code

1-18     of Criminal Procedure; or

1-19                       (H)  county fire marshal's office; or

1-20                 (2)  a juvenile probation department vehicle used to

1-21     transport children, when used to perform an official duty.

1-22           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-23           SECTION 3.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

1-24     only to an offense under Section 721.006, Transportation Code,

 2-1     committed on or after the effective date of this Act.  For the

 2-2     purposes of this section, an offense is committed before the

 2-3     effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs

 2-4     before the effective date.

 2-5           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this

 2-6     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

 2-7     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

 2-8           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-9     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-10     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-11     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-12     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.