By Corte                                        H.B. No. 1818

      75R405 PEP-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to public notice of the release into the community of

 1-3     persons convicted of certain sexual offenses.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 3(e), Article 6252-13c.1, Revised

 1-6     Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

 1-7           (e)  Not later than the eighth day after receiving a

 1-8     registration form under Subsection (b), (c), or (d) of this

 1-9     section, the local law enforcement authority shall verify the age

1-10     of the victim and the basis on which the person is subject to

1-11     registration under this article.  If the victim is a child younger

1-12     than 17 years of age and the basis on which the person is subject

1-13     to registration is not an adjudication of delinquent conduct or a

1-14     deferred adjudication and is not a conviction for an offense under

1-15     Section 25.02, Penal Code, the authority shall immediately publish

1-16     notice in English and Spanish in the [at least one] newspaper of

1-17     greatest paid [general] circulation in the county in which the

1-18     person subject to registration intends to reside or, if there is no

1-19     newspaper of paid circulation in that county, in the newspaper of

1-20     greatest general circulation in the county.  The authority shall

1-21     publish a duplicate notice in the newspaper, with any necessary

1-22     corrections, during the week immediately following the week of

1-23     initial publication.  If the victim is a child younger than 17

1-24     years of age, regardless of the basis on which the person is

 2-1     subject to registration, the authority shall immediately provide

 2-2     notice to the superintendent of public schools of the school

 2-3     district in which the person subject to registration intends to

 2-4     reside by mail to the district office.

 2-5           SECTION 2.  Section 4(f), Article 6252-13c.1, Revised

 2-6     Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

 2-7           (f)  If the person moves to another municipality or county in

 2-8     this state, the department shall inform the applicable local law

 2-9     enforcement authority in the new area of the person's residence not

2-10     later than the third day after the date on which the department

2-11     receives information under Subsection (a) of this section.  Not

2-12     later than the eighth day after the date on which the local law

2-13     enforcement authority is informed under Subsection (a) of this

2-14     section or under this subsection, the authority shall verify the

2-15     age of the victim and the basis on which the person is subject to

2-16     registration under this article.  If the victim is a child younger

2-17     than 17 years of age and the basis on which the person is subject

2-18     to registration is not an adjudication of delinquent conduct or a

2-19     deferred adjudication and is not a conviction for an offense under

2-20     Section 25.02, Penal Code, the authority shall immediately publish

2-21     notice in English and Spanish in the [at least one] newspaper of

2-22     greatest paid [general] circulation in the county in which the

2-23     person subject to registration intends to reside or, if there is no

2-24     newspaper of paid circulation in that county, in the newspaper of

2-25     greatest general circulation in the county.  The local law

2-26     enforcement authority shall publish a duplicate notice in the

2-27     newspaper, with any necessary corrections, during the week

 3-1     immediately following the week of initial publication.  If the

 3-2     victim is a child younger than 17 years of age, regardless of the

 3-3     basis on which the person is subject to registration, the authority

 3-4     shall immediately provide notice to the superintendent of public

 3-5     schools of the school district in which the person subject to

 3-6     registration intends to reside by mail to the district office.

 3-7           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 3-8           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 3-9     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-10     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-11     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-12     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.