1-1 By: Bosse (Senate Sponsor - Whitmire) H.B. No. 649
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 4, 1997;
1-3 April 8, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on
1-4 Intergovernmental Relations; April 17, 1997, reported favorably by
1-5 the following vote: Yeas 10, Nays 0; April 17, 1997, sent to
1-6 printer.)
1-7 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-8 AN ACT
1-9 relating to the use of unmarked motor vehicles by county fire
1-10 marshals.
1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12 SECTION 1. Section 721.005(b), Transportation Code, is
1-13 amended to read as follows:
1-14 (b) The commissioners court of a county may exempt from the
1-15 requirements of Section 721.004:
1-16 (1) an automobile when used to perform an official
1-17 duty by a:
1-18 (A) police department;
1-19 (B) sheriff's office;
1-20 (C) constable's office;
1-21 (D) criminal district attorney's office;
1-22 (E) district attorney's office;
1-23 (F) county attorney's office; [or]
1-24 (G) magistrate as defined by Article 2.09, Code
1-25 of Criminal Procedure; or
1-26 (H) county fire marshal's office; or
1-27 (2) a juvenile probation department vehicle used to
1-28 transport children, when used to perform an official duty.
1-29 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
1-30 SECTION 3. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
1-31 only to an offense under Section 721.006, Transportation Code,
1-32 committed on or after the effective date of this Act. For the
1-33 purposes of this section, an offense is committed before the
1-34 effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
1-35 before the effective date.
1-36 (b) An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-37 Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
1-38 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-39 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
1-40 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-41 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-42 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-43 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-44 * * * * *