By Davila H.B. No. 1086 75R2952 DLF-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the offense of selling certain quantities of 1-3 cigarettes. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Section 154.504, Tax Code, is amended to read as 1-6 follows: 1-7 Sec. 154.504. POSSESSION OF QUANTITIES LESS THAN INDIVIDUAL 1-8 PACKAGE. A person commits an offense if the person sells 1-9 cigarettes in quantities less than an individual package containing 1-10 at least 20 cigarettes. 1-11 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-12 SECTION 3. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies 1-13 only to the punishment for an offense committed on or after the 1-14 effective date of this Act. For purposes of this section, an 1-15 offense is committed before the effective date of this Act if any 1-16 element of the offense occurs before the effective date. 1-17 (b) An offense committed before the effective date of this 1-18 Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, 1-19 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. 1-20 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-21 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-22 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-23 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-24 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.