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                                  * * * * *