By Harris S.B. No. 143 75R1485 JMC-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the punishment for the offense of cruelty to animals. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Section 42.09(d), Penal Code, is amended to read 1-5 as follows: 1-6 (d) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor, 1-7 except that the offense is a felony of the third degree if the 1-8 person has previously been convicted two times under this section. 1-9 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies 1-10 only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this 1-11 Act. For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before 1-12 the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs 1-13 before that date. 1-14 (b) An offense committed before the effective date of this 1-15 Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, 1-16 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. 1-17 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-18 SECTION 4. 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.