By Van de Putte H.B. No. 2685 75R8753 T A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to certain prohibited activities in the food stamp 1-3 program. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Section 33.011(d), Human Resources Code, is 1-6 amended to read as follows: 1-7 (d) When cash, exchange value or food stamp benefit permits 1-8 of various values are obtained in violation of this section 1-9 pursuant to one scheme or continuing course of conduct, whether 1-10 from the same of several sources, the conduct may be considered as 1-11 one offense and the values aggregated in determining the grade of 1-12 the offense. 1-13 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies 1-14 only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this 1-15 Act. For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before 1-16 the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs 1-17 before the effective date. 1-18 (b) An offense committee before the effective date of this 1-19 Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, 1-20 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. 1-21 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-22 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-23 crowded condition of this calendars in both houses create an 1-24 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-1 constitutional rule requiring bills to read on three several days 2-2 in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.