By Gray H.B. No. 1386
75R1790 GWK-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the continuation and the functions of the Board of
1-3 Pardons and Paroles.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 2, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
1-6 Procedure, is amended by adding Subdivision (10) to read as
1-7 follows:
1-8 (10) "Policy board" means the Board of Pardons and
1-9 Paroles Policy Board.
1-10 SECTION 2. Section 4, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
1-11 Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
1-12 Sec. 4. Eligibility for Membership. (a) Board members must
1-13 be representative of the general public. A member must be a
1-14 resident citizen of this state and must have resided in this state
1-15 for the two years preceding appointment. A person is not eligible
1-16 for appointment as a public member if the person or the person's
1-17 spouse:
1-18 (1) is employed by or participates in the management
1-19 of a business entity or other organization receiving funds from the
1-20 department or the board;
1-21 (2) owns or controls directly or indirectly more than
1-22 a 10 percent interest in a business entity or other organization
1-23 regulated by the department or receiving funds from the department
1-24 or the board; or
2-1 (3) uses or receives a substantial amount of tangible
2-2 goods, services, or funds from the department or the board, other
2-3 than compensation or reimbursement authorized by law for board
2-4 membership, attendance, or expenses.
2-5 (a-1) In determining eligibility under Subsection (a)(3) of
2-6 this section, the compensation or reimbursement that a board
2-7 member's spouse receives as an employee of the board or of the
2-8 Texas Department of Criminal Justice may not be considered. This
2-9 subsection does not affect any restriction on employment or board
2-10 membership imposed by any other law.
2-11 (b) An employee or paid officer or consultant of a trade
2-12 association in the field of criminal justice may not be a member of
2-13 the board or be an employee of the division or the board who is
2-14 exempt from the state's position classification plan or who is
2-15 compensated at or above the amount prescribed by the General
2-16 Appropriations Act for step 1, salary group 17, of the position
2-17 classification salary schedule. A person who is the spouse of an
2-18 officer, [any] manager, or paid consultant of a trade association
2-19 in the field of criminal justice may not be a member of the board
2-20 and may not be an employee of the division or the board who is [,
2-21 including an employee] exempt from the state's classification plan
2-22 or [, who] is compensated at or above the amount prescribed by the
2-23 General Appropriations Act for step 1, salary group 17, of the
2-24 position classification salary schedule. For the purposes of this
2-25 section, a trade association is a nonprofit, cooperative, and
2-26 voluntarily joined association of business or professional
2-27 competitors designed to assist its members and its industry or
3-1 profession in dealing with mutual business or professional problems
3-2 and in promoting their common interests.
3-3 (c) A person who is required to register as a lobbyist under
3-4 Chapter 305, Government Code, by virtue of the person's activities
3-5 for compensation in or on behalf of a profession related to the
3-6 operation of the board, may not serve as a member of the board or
3-7 act as the general counsel to the board or division.
3-8 (d) Appointments to the board shall be made without regard
3-9 to the race, color, handicap, sex, religion, age, or national
3-10 origin of the appointees.
3-11 (e) It is a ground for removal from the board if a member:
3-12 (1) does not have at the time of appointment the
3-13 qualifications required by Subsection (a) of this section for
3-14 appointment to the board;
3-15 (2) does not maintain during the member's service on
3-16 the board the qualifications required by Subsection (a) of this
3-17 section for appointment to the board;
3-18 (3) violates a prohibition established by Subsections
3-19 (b) and (c) of this section;
3-20 (4) is unable to discharge the member's duties for a
3-21 substantial part of the term for which the member is [was]
3-22 appointed because of illness or disability; or
3-23 (5) is absent from more than half of the regularly
3-24 scheduled board or panel meetings that the member is eligible to
3-25 attend during each calendar year, except when the absence is
3-26 excused by majority vote of the board.
3-27 (f) It is a ground for removal from the board and the policy
4-1 board if a member of the policy board is absent from more than half
4-2 of the regularly scheduled policy board meetings that the member is
4-3 eligible to attend during each calendar year except when the
4-4 absence is excused by majority vote of the policy board.
4-5 (g) The board administrator or the board administrator's
4-6 designee shall provide to members of the board, members of the
4-7 policy board, and to employees, as often as necessary, information
4-8 regarding their qualification for office or employment under this
4-9 article and their responsibilities under applicable laws relating
4-10 to standards of conduct for state officers or employees.
4-11 (h) The validity of an action of:
4-12 (1) the board or panel is not affected by the fact
4-13 that it is [was] taken when a ground for removal of a member of the
4-14 board exists; and
4-15 (2) the policy board is not affected by the fact that
4-16 it is taken when a ground for removal of a member of the policy
4-17 board exists [existed].
4-18 (i) [(g)] If the general counsel to the board [director] has
4-19 knowledge that a potential ground for removal exists, the general
4-20 counsel [director] shall notify the presiding officer [chairman] of
4-21 the board of the potential ground. The presiding officer
4-22 [chairman] of the board shall then notify the governor and the
4-23 attorney general that a potential ground for removal exists. If the
4-24 potential ground for removal involves the presiding officer, the
4-25 general counsel to the board shall notify the next highest officer
4-26 of the board, who shall notify the governor and the attorney
4-27 general that a potential ground for removal exists.
5-1 (j) [(h)] The financial transactions of the division and the
5-2 board are subject to audit by the state auditor in accordance with
5-3 Chapter 321, Government Code.
5-4 SECTION 3. Section 5, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
5-5 Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
5-6 Sec. 5. Sunset Provisions. The Board of Pardons and Paroles
5-7 is subject to review under Chapter 325, Government Code (Texas
5-8 Sunset Act), but is not abolished under that chapter. The board
5-9 shall be reviewed during the period in which the Texas Department
5-10 of Criminal Justice is reviewed [in a timely manner to permit
5-11 recommendations for necessary legislation to be made to the 75th
5-12 Legislature, Regular Session, 1997].
5-13 SECTION 4. Section 6, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
5-14 Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
5-15 Sec. 6. Compensation and Offices of Board Members; Director.
5-16 (a) The members of the board shall give full time to the duties of
5-17 their office and shall be paid such salaries as the legislature may
5-18 determine in appropriation Acts. The governor shall designate one
5-19 member to serve as the presiding officer [chairman] of the board,
5-20 and the presiding officer [chairman] serves in that capacity at the
5-21 pleasure of the governor.
5-22 (b) The executive director of the department shall hire the
5-23 director. The director is responsible for the day-to-day
5-24 administration of the division.
5-25 (c) [To facilitate the work of the Board of Pardons and
5-26 Paroles, the governor shall appoint the chairman of the board to
5-27 serve as chairman of the executive committee. The chairman shall
6-1 appoint six board members to serve on the executive committee. The
6-2 committee members serve in that capacity at the pleasure of the
6-3 chairman. The executive committee shall coordinate activities of
6-4 the board, assure maximum efficiency and fair distribution of the
6-5 caseload, and administer other matters as required by the chairman.]
6-6 [(d)] The policy board, after consultation with the governor
6-7 and the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, shall adopt a mission
6-8 statement that reflects those responsibilities for the operation of
6-9 the parole process that are assigned to the policy board, the
6-10 board, [and those responsibilities for the operation of the parole
6-11 process that are assigned to] the division, the department, or the
6-12 Texas Board of Criminal Justice. The policy board shall include in
6-13 the mission statement a description of specific locations at which
6-14 the board intends to conduct business related to the operation of
6-15 the parole process.
6-16 SECTION 5. Section 6A, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
6-17 Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
6-18 Sec. 6A. POLICY [PERSONNEL OF] BOARD: COMPOSITION; GENERAL
6-19 DUTIES. (a) The governor shall designate six members of the board
6-20 to serve as the Board of Pardons and Paroles Policy Board. The
6-21 governor shall designate the presiding officer of the board as one
6-22 of the six members of the policy board, and the presiding officer
6-23 of the board shall serve as presiding officer of the policy board.
6-24 Service on the policy board is an additional duty of office for
6-25 members appointed to the policy board.
6-26 (b) Members of the board designated as members of the policy
6-27 board serve on the policy board for six-year terms that are
7-1 concurrent with their six-year terms on the board, with the service
7-2 of two members expiring February 1 of each odd-numbered year.
7-3 (c) The policy board shall:
7-4 (1) adopt rules relating to the decision-making
7-5 processes used by the board and parole panels;
7-6 (2) establish caseloads for members of the board and
7-7 assign duties to members of the policy board that are in addition
7-8 to the duties those members have in handling a caseload;
7-9 (3) update parole guidelines, assign precedential
7-10 value to previous decisions of the board relating to the granting
7-11 of parole and the revocation of parole or mandatory supervision,
7-12 and develop policies to ensure that members of the board use
7-13 guidelines and previous decisions of the board in making decisions
7-14 under this article;
7-15 (4) require members of the board to file activity
7-16 reports, on forms provided by the policy board, that provide
7-17 information on release decisions made by members of the board, the
7-18 workload of the members of the board, and the use of parole
7-19 guidelines by members of the board; and
7-20 (5) report at least annually to the governor and the
7-21 legislature on board activities, parole release decisions, and the
7-22 use of parole guidelines by the board. [The board may adopt rules
7-23 as necessary for the employment and supervision of personnel of the
7-24 board.]
7-25 (d) [(b)] The policy board shall employ and supervise:
7-26 (1) a general counsel to the board;
7-27 (2) a board administrator to manage the day-to-day
8-1 activities of the board [an administrative assistant];
8-2 (3) hearing officers;
8-3 (4) personnel to assist in clemency matters; and
8-4 (5) secretarial or clerical personnel.
8-5 [(c) The board shall develop and implement personnel
8-6 policies.]
8-7 SECTION 6. Chapter 42.18, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
8-8 amended by adding Sections 6C and 6D to read as follows:
8-9 Sec. 6C. POLICY BOARD: GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
8-10 (a) The policy board shall:
8-11 (1) develop and implement policies that clearly
8-12 separate the policy-making responsibilities of the policy board and
8-13 the management responsibilities of the board administrator and the
8-14 staff of the board;
8-15 (2) prepare information of public interest describing
8-16 the functions of the board and make the information available to
8-17 the public and appropriate state agencies;
8-18 (3) comply with federal and state laws related to
8-19 program and facility accessibility; and
8-20 (4) prepare annually a complete and detailed written
8-21 report that meets the reporting requirements applicable to
8-22 financial reporting provided in the General Appropriations Act and
8-23 accounts for all funds received and disbursed by the board during
8-24 the preceding fiscal year.
8-25 (b) The board administrator shall prepare and maintain a
8-26 written plan that describes how a person who does not speak English
8-27 can be provided reasonable access to the board's programs and
9-1 services.
9-2 (c) The policy board is subject to the open meetings law,
9-3 Chapter 551, Government Code, and the administrative procedure law,
9-4 Chapter 2001, Government Code, as if it were, respectively, a
9-5 governmental body or a state agency under those laws.
9-6 Sec. 6D. BOARD PERSONNEL. (a) The board administrator or
9-7 the board administrator's designee shall prepare and maintain a
9-8 written policy statement to assure implementation of a program of
9-9 equal employment opportunity under which all personnel transactions
9-10 of the board are made without regard to race, color, disability,
9-11 sex, religion, age, or national origin. The policy statement must
9-12 include:
9-13 (1) personnel policies, including policies relating to
9-14 recruitment, evaluation, selection, appointment, training, and
9-15 promotion of personnel that are in compliance with requirements of
9-16 Chapter 21, Labor Code;
9-17 (2) a comprehensive analysis of the board workforce
9-18 that meets federal and state guidelines;
9-19 (3) procedures by which a determination can be made
9-20 about the extent of underuse in the board workforce of all persons
9-21 for whom federal or state guidelines encourage a more equitable
9-22 balance; and
9-23 (4) reasonable methods to appropriately address those
9-24 areas of underuse.
9-25 (b) A policy statement prepared under Subsection (a) must
9-26 cover an annual period, be updated annually and reviewed by the
9-27 Commission on Human Rights for compliance with Subsection (a)(1),
10-1 and be filed with the governor's office.
10-2 (c) The governor's office shall deliver a biennial report to
10-3 the legislature based on the information received under Subsection
10-4 (b). The report may be made separately or as a part of other
10-5 biennial reports made to the legislature.
10-6 (d) The board administrator or the board administrator's
10-7 designee shall develop an intra-agency career ladder program that
10-8 addresses opportunities for mobility and advancement for employees
10-9 within the board. The program shall require intra-agency posting
10-10 of all positions concurrently with any public posting.
10-11 (e) The board administrator or the board administrator's
10-12 designee shall develop a system of annual performance evaluations
10-13 that are based on documented employee performance. All merit pay
10-14 for board employees must be based on the system established under
10-15 this subsection.
10-16 SECTION 7. Section 7, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
10-17 Procedure, is amended by amending Subsections (c), (d), (f), and
10-18 (h) and by adding Subsection (i) to read as follows:
10-19 (c) The policy board shall develop and implement a policy
10-20 that clearly defines circumstances under which a board member
10-21 should disqualify himself from voting on a parole decision or on a
10-22 decision to revoke parole or mandatory supervision.
10-23 (d) The policy board may provide and promulgate a written
10-24 plan for the administrative review by the entire membership or a
10-25 subset of the entire membership of the board of actions taken by a
10-26 parole panel.
10-27 (f) The members of the policy board shall meet at least once
11-1 in each quarter of the calendar year at a site determined by the
11-2 presiding officer [chairman]. The members of the board are not
11-3 required to meet as a body to perform the members' duties in
11-4 clemency matters.
11-5 (h) The policy board shall develop for board [its] members a
11-6 comprehensive training and education program on the Texas criminal
11-7 justice system, with special emphasis on the parole process.
11-8 Before a member of the board, the policy board, or a parole panel
11-9 may assume the member's duties and before the member may be
11-10 confirmed by the senate, the member must complete the program and
11-11 at least one course of the training program established under
11-12 Subsection (i). [A new member may not participate in a vote of the
11-13 board or a panel until the member completes the program.]
11-14 (i) A training program established under this subsection
11-15 shall provide information to the member regarding:
11-16 (1) the enabling legislation that created the board
11-17 and the policy board;
11-18 (2) the programs operated by the board;
11-19 (3) the role and functions of the board;
11-20 (4) the rules of the board with an emphasis on the
11-21 rules that relate to disciplinary and investigatory authority;
11-22 (5) the current budget for the board;
11-23 (6) the results of the most recent formal audit of the
11-24 board;
11-25 (7) the requirements of the:
11-26 (A) open meetings law, Chapter 551, Government
11-27 Code;
12-1 (B) open records law, Chapter 552, Government
12-2 Code; and
12-3 (C) administrative procedure law, Chapter 2001,
12-4 Government Code;
12-5 (8) the requirements of the conflict of interest laws
12-6 and other laws relating to public officials; and
12-7 (9) any applicable ethics policies adopted by the
12-8 policy board or the Texas Ethics Commission.
12-9 SECTION 8. Section 8(g), Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
12-10 Procedure, as amended by Chapters 397 and 988, Acts of the 73rd
12-11 Legislature, Regular Session, 1993, is amended to read as follows:
12-12 (g) The policy board may adopt such other reasonable rules
12-13 not inconsistent with law as it may deem proper or necessary with
12-14 respect to the eligibility of prisoners for parole and mandatory
12-15 supervision, the conduct of parole and mandatory supervision
12-16 hearings, or conditions to be imposed upon parolees and persons
12-17 released to mandatory supervision. Each person to be released on
12-18 parole shall be furnished a contract setting forth in clear and
12-19 intelligible language the conditions and rules of parole. The
12-20 parole panel may include as a condition of parole or mandatory
12-21 supervision any condition that a court may impose on a defendant
12-22 placed on community supervision under Article 42.12 of this code,
12-23 including the condition that the person released submit to testing
12-24 for controlled substances or submit to electronic monitoring if the
12-25 parole panel determines that absent testing for controlled
12-26 substances or participation in an electronic monitoring program the
12-27 person would not be released on parole. Acceptance, signing, and
13-1 execution of the contract by the inmate to be paroled shall be a
13-2 precondition to release on parole. Persons released on mandatory
13-3 supervision shall be furnished a written statement setting forth in
13-4 clear and intelligible language the conditions and rules of
13-5 mandatory supervision. The parole panel may also require as a
13-6 condition of parole or release to mandatory supervision that the
13-7 person make payments in satisfaction of damages the person is
13-8 liable for under Section 500.002, Government Code. The parole panel
13-9 shall require as a condition of parole or mandatory supervision
13-10 that the person register under Article 6252-13c.1, Revised
13-11 Statutes. The parole panel may require as a condition of parole or
13-12 release to mandatory supervision that the person attend counseling
13-13 sessions for substance abusers or participate in substance abuse
13-14 treatment services in a program or facility approved or licensed by
13-15 the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse if the person was
13-16 sentenced for an offense involving controlled substances or the
13-17 panel determines that the defendant's substance abuse was connected
13-18 to the commission of the offense. The parole panel shall require
13-19 as a condition of parole or mandatory supervision that an inmate
13-20 who immediately before release is a participant in the program
13-21 established under Section 501.0931, Government Code, participate in
13-22 a drug or alcohol abuse continuum of care treatment program.
13-23 SECTION 9. Section 11(a), Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
13-24 Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
13-25 (a) The policy board shall adopt rules as to:
13-26 (1) the submission and presentation of information and
13-27 arguments to the board, parole panels, and the department for and
14-1 in behalf of an inmate; and
14-2 (2) the time, place, and manner of contact between a
14-3 person representing an inmate and a member of the board, an
14-4 employee of the board, or an employee of the department.
14-5 SECTION 10. Section 14, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal
14-6 Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
14-7 Sec. 14. Hearings; Sanctions. (a) Whenever a prisoner or a
14-8 person granted a conditional pardon is accused of a violation of
14-9 his parole, mandatory supervision, or conditional pardon, on
14-10 information and complaint by a law enforcement officer or parole
14-11 officer, or is arrested after an ineligible release, he shall be
14-12 entitled to be heard on such charges before a parole panel or a
14-13 designee of the board under such rules as the policy board may
14-14 adopt; provided, however, said hearing shall be held within 70 days
14-15 of the date of arrest under a warrant issued by the director or a
14-16 designated agent of the director or by the board on order by the
14-17 governor and at a time and place set by that parole panel or
14-18 designee. The panel or designee may hold the hearing at a date
14-19 later than the date otherwise required by this section if it
14-20 determines a delay is necessary to assure due process for the
14-21 person, except that the authority issuing the warrant shall
14-22 immediately withdraw the warrant if the hearing is not held before
14-23 the 121st day after the date of arrest. If a parole panel or
14-24 designee determines that a parolee, mandatory supervisee, or person
14-25 granted a conditional pardon has been convicted in a court of
14-26 competent jurisdiction of a felony offense committed while an
14-27 administrative releasee and has been sentenced by the court to a
15-1 term of incarceration in a penal institution, the determination is
15-2 to be considered a sufficient hearing to revoke the parole or
15-3 mandatory supervision or recommend to the governor revocation of a
15-4 conditional pardon without further hearing, except that the parole
15-5 panel or designee shall conduct a hearing to consider mitigating
15-6 circumstances if requested by the parolee, mandatory supervisee, or
15-7 person granted a conditional pardon. When the parole panel or
15-8 designee has heard the facts, the board may recommend to the
15-9 governor that the conditional pardon be continued, revoked, or
15-10 modified, or it may continue, revoke, or modify the parole or
15-11 mandatory supervision, in any manner warranted by the evidence.
15-12 The parole panel or designee must make its recommendation or
15-13 decision no later than the 30th day after the date the hearing is
15-14 concluded. When a person's parole, mandatory supervision, or
15-15 conditional pardon is revoked, that person may be required to serve
15-16 the portion remaining of the sentence on which he was released,
15-17 such portion remaining to be calculated without credit for the time
15-18 from the date of his release to the date of revocation. When a
15-19 warrant is issued charging a violation of release conditions, the
15-20 sentence time credit may be suspended until a determination is made
15-21 in such case and such suspended time credit may be reinstated
15-22 should such parole, mandatory supervision, or conditional pardon be
15-23 continued.
15-24 (b) [The board shall develop and implement a training
15-25 program for designees of the board who conduct hearings under this
15-26 section. The training program must assist the designees in
15-27 understanding issues relating to the revocation process.]
16-1 [(c)] The requirement in Subsection (a) that a warrant be
16-2 withdrawn does not apply if the person:
16-3 (1) has been removed from the custody of a county
16-4 sheriff by the department and placed in a community residential
16-5 facility;
16-6 (2) is in custody in another state or in a federal
16-7 correctional facility;
16-8 (3) is granted a continuance, not to exceed the 181st
16-9 day after the arrest, or the attorney representing the person or
16-10 the attorney representing the state is granted a continuance, not
16-11 to exceed the 181st day after the arrest; or
16-12 (4) is subject to pending criminal charges that have
16-13 not been adjudicated.
16-14 SECTION 11. Article 42.18, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
16-15 amended by adding Section 14A to read as follows:
16-16 Sec. 14A. DESIGNEE TRAINING; HANDBOOK. (a) The policy
16-17 board shall:
16-18 (1) develop and implement a training program that each
16-19 newly hired employee of the board designated to conduct hearings
16-20 under Section 14 must complete before conducting a hearing without
16-21 the assistance of a board member or experienced designee; and
16-22 (2) develop and implement a training program to
16-23 provide an annual update to designees of the board on issues and
16-24 procedures relating to the revocation process.
16-25 (b) The policy board shall prepare and biennially update a
16-26 procedural manual to be used by designees of the board. The policy
16-27 board shall include in the manual:
17-1 (1) descriptions of decisions in previous hearings
17-2 determined by the policy board to have value as precedents for
17-3 decisions in subsequent hearings;
17-4 (2) laws and court decisions relevant to decision
17-5 making in hearings; and
17-6 (3) case studies useful in decision making in
17-7 hearings.
17-8 (c) The policy board shall prepare and update as necessary a
17-9 handbook to be made available to participants in hearings under
17-10 Section 14, such as defense attorneys, persons released on parole
17-11 or mandatory supervision, and witnesses. The handbook must
17-12 describe in plain language the procedures used in a hearing under
17-13 Section 14.
17-14 SECTION 12. The initial designations of the members of the
17-15 Board of Pardons and Paroles Policy Board, as required by Section
17-16 6A, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal Procedure, as amended by this
17-17 Act, are as provided by this section. On or before January 1,
17-18 1998, the governor shall designate two members of the Board of
17-19 Pardons and Paroles with terms expiring February 1, 1999, to serve
17-20 terms on the policy board expiring on February 1, 1999, two members
17-21 of the board with terms expiring February 1, 2001, to serve terms
17-22 on the policy board expiring on February 1, 2001, and two members
17-23 of the board with terms expiring February 1, 2003, to serve terms
17-24 on the policy board expiring on February 1, 2003. On expiration of
17-25 those terms, the term of a member of the policy board is six years,
17-26 to be served concurrently with the member's term on the board.
17-27 SECTION 13. (a) The Board of Pardons and Paroles Policy
18-1 Board shall develop and implement the training programs described
18-2 by Subsections (a)(1) and (2), Section 14A, Article 42.18, Code of
18-3 Criminal Procedure, as added by this Act, not later than June 1,
18-4 1998. The requirement that a newly hired employee of the board
18-5 complete a training program described under Subsection (a)(1),
18-6 Section 14A, before conducting a hearing without assistance applies
18-7 only to an employee hired on or after June 1, 1998.
18-8 (b) The policy board shall prepare and make available the
18-9 procedural manual and the handbook described by Subsections (b) and
18-10 (c), Section 14A, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal Procedure, as
18-11 added by this Act, not later than June 1, 1998.
18-12 SECTION 14. On January 1, 1998, a rule, form, or policy
18-13 adopted by the Board of Pardons and Paroles is a rule, form, or
18-14 policy of the Board of Pardons and Paroles Policy Board.
18-15 SECTION 15. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
18-16 SECTION 16. The importance of this legislation and the
18-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
18-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
18-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
18-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.