By Greenberg, Place, Wilson, Grusendorf,               H.B. No. 806

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the prosecution of the offense of obstruction or

 1-3     retaliation.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 36.06(a), Penal Code, is amended to read

 1-6     as follows:

 1-7           (a)  A person commits an offense if he intentionally or

 1-8     knowingly harms or threatens to harm another by an unlawful act:

 1-9                 (1)  in retaliation for or on account of the service or

1-10     status of another as a:

1-11                       (A)  public servant, witness, prospective

1-12     witness, or informant;[,] or

1-13                       (B) [a]  person who has reported or who the actor

1-14     knows intends to report the occurrence of a crime; or

1-15                 (2)  to prevent or delay the service of another as a:

1-16                       (A)  public servant, witness, prospective

1-17     witness, or informant;[,] or

1-18                       (B) [a]  person who has reported or who the actor

1-19     knows intends to report the occurrence of a crime.

1-20           SECTION 2.  This Act shall be cited as the "Douglas S. Goeble

1-21     and Gil Epstein Act."

1-22           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-23           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-25     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

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