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. 1-33 * * * * *