By Gutierrez                                    H.B. No. 2529

      75R3514 GWK-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the ability of a peace officer to apply for

 1-3     compensation under the Crime Victims' Compensation Act.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Article 56.32(c), Code of Criminal Procedure, is

 1-6     amended to read as follows:

 1-7           (c)  In this subchapter "victim" does not include:

 1-8                 (1)  [a peace officer;]

 1-9                 [(2)]  a firefighter; or

1-10                 (2) [(3)]  another individual, other than a peace

1-11     officer, whose employment includes the duty to protect the public

1-12     while acting in the course and scope of the individual's

1-13     employment.

1-14           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

1-15     only to a claim for compensation for criminally injurious conduct

1-16     occurring on or after the effective date of this Act.  For purposes

1-17     of this section, conduct occurs before the effective date of this

1-18     Act if any element of the offense that is included in the

1-19     criminally injurious conduct occurs before the effective date.

1-20           (b)  An application for compensation based on criminally

1-21     injurious conduct occurring before the effective date of this Act

1-22     is covered by the law in effect when the offense that is included

1-23     in the criminally injurious conduct was committed, and the former

1-24     law is continued in effect for that purpose.

 2-1           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-2           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-3     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-4     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-5     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-6     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.