1-1     By:  Thompson (Senate Sponsor - Ellis)                H.B. No. 2271

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1997;

 1-3     April 23, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; May 6, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 6, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the liability of certain persons concerning abandoned

 1-9     property.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 74.705, Property Code, is amended by

1-12     adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:

1-13           (f)  In this section, "person" does not include a local

1-14     governmental entity or an officer or employee of a local

1-15     governmental entity who is performing the officer's or employee's

1-16     official duties for the local governmental entity.

1-17           SECTION 2.  (a)  Section 74.705(f), Property Code, as added

1-18     by this Act, does not apply to interest accruing, attorney's fees

1-19     for which approval is filed, or a suit for a civil penalty filed

1-20     under Section 74.705(a), (b), or (e), respectively, before the

1-21     effective date of this Act.

1-22           (b)  Section 74.705(f), Property Code, as added by this Act,

1-23     does not apply to an offense committed before the effective date of

1-24     this Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed

1-25     before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense

1-26     occurs before that date.

1-27           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-28           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-29     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-30     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-31     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-32     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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