By Thompson                                     H.B. No. 2271

      75R7784 CAS-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the liability of certain persons concerning abandoned

 1-3     property.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 74.705, Property Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:

 1-7           (f)  In this section, "person" does not include a local

 1-8     governmental entity or an officer or employee of a local

 1-9     governmental entity who is performing the officer's or employee's

1-10     official duties for the local governmental entity.

1-11           SECTION 2.  (a)  Section 74.705(f), Property Code, as added

1-12     by this Act, does not apply to interest accruing, attorney's fees

1-13     for which approval is filed, or a suit for a civil penalty filed

1-14     under Section 74.705(a), (b), or (e), respectively, before the

1-15     effective date of this Act.

1-16           (b)  Section 74.705(f), Property Code, as added by this Act,

1-17     does not apply to an offense committed before the effective date of

1-18     this Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed

1-19     before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense

1-20     occurs before that date.

1-21           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-22           SECTION 4.  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.