AN ACT

 1-1     relating to creating an offense for possession of certain

 1-2     information by an inmate of the institutional division or the state

 1-3     jail division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 38.111, Penal Code, is

 1-6     amended to read as follows:

 1-7           (a)  An inmate of the institutional division or a person

 1-8     confined in a state jail felony facility commits an offense if with

 1-9     intent to obtain a benefit or with intent to harm or defraud

1-10     another the inmate or person possesses a written document or other

1-11     tangible item that contains personal information about another or

1-12     discloses or uses personal information about another that the

1-13     inmate or person has access to by means of participation in a work

1-14     program operated by or for the institutional division or state jail

1-15     division.

1-16           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-17           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

         _______________________________     _______________________________

             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 188 passed the Senate on

         February 26, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Secretary of the Senate

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 188 passed the House on

         May 25, 1997, by a non-record vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House

         Approved:

         _______________________________

                     Date

         _______________________________

                   Governor