By Talton                                       H.B. No. 1949

      75R4335 KEL-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the venue for certain offenses committed against

 1-3     children.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 13, Code of Criminal Procedure, is

 1-6     amended by adding Article 13.151 to read as follows:

 1-7           Art. 13.151.  CERTAIN OFFENSES AGAINST CHILDREN.  An offense

 1-8     under Chapter 21 or 22, Penal Code, or Section 25.02 or 43.25,

 1-9     Penal Code, committed against a child younger than 15 years of age

1-10     may be prosecuted in the county in which the child resides at the

1-11     time the information or indictment alleging the offense is

1-12     presented.

1-13           SECTION 2.  (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-14           (b)  The change in law made by this Act applies only to an

1-15     offense that occurs on or after the effective date of this Act.

1-16     For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before the

1-17     effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs

1-18     before that date.

1-19           (c)  An offense committed before the effective date of this

1-20     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

1-21     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

1-22           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-24     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.