By Elkins                                       H.B. No. 2502

      75R2581 JD-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the venue for prosecution of the offense of failing or

 1-3     refusing to pay the toll imposed for the operation of a motor

 1-4     vehicle on a toll project of certain counties.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 284.070, Transportation Code, is amended

 1-7     by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

 1-8           (d)  An offense under this section may be prosecuted in any

 1-9     precinct in the county in which the offense was committed.

1-10           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.  The

1-11     change in law made by this Act applies only to the prosecution for

1-12     an offense committed on or after September 1, 1997.  The

1-13     prosecution of an offense committed before September 1, 1997, is

1-14     covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and

1-15     the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.  For

1-16     purposes of this section, an offense was committed before September

1-17     1, 1997, if any element of the offense occurred before that date.

1-18           SECTION 3.  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.