By Pickett                                      H.B. No. 2026

      75R4940 JMC-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the prosecution of organized criminal activity.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 71.04, Penal Code, is amended by adding

 1-5     Subsection (c) to read as follows:

 1-6           (c)  Notwithstanding Article 38.14, Code of Criminal

 1-7     Procedure, a person may be convicted of an offense under Section

 1-8     71.02  on the uncorroborated testimony of a party to the offense.

 1-9           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

1-10     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this

1-11     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed  before

1-12     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs

1-13     before that date.

1-14           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this

1-15     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

1-16     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

1-17           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-18           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-19     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-20     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-21     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-22     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.