By Garcia                                       H.B. No. 2399

      75R7773 PAM-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to municipal regulation of burglar alarm systems.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 218.007(a), Local Government Code, is

 1-5     amended to read as follows:

 1-6           (a)  A municipality may not impose a penalty or fee for the

 1-7     signaling of a false alarm by a burglar alarm system unless at

 1-8     least two [five] other false alarms have occurred during the

 1-9     preceding 12-month period.

1-10           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only

1-11     to a false alarm that occurs on or after the effective date of this

1-12     Act.  A false alarm that occurred before the effective date of this

1-13     Act is governed by the law in effect when the false alarm occurred,

1-14     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

1-15           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-16     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-17     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-18     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-19     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.