1-1     By:  Ratliff                                           S.B. No. 298

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 24, 1997; January 28, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;

 1-4     March 19, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 4,

 1-5     Nays 1; March 19, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to juvenile court detention orders.

 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-10           SECTION 1.  Subsection (h), Section 54.01, Family Code, is

1-11     amended to read as follows:

1-12           (h)  A detention order extends to the conclusion of the

1-13     disposition hearing, if there is one, but in no event for more than

1-14     10 working days.  Further detention orders may be made following

1-15     subsequent detention hearings.  The initial detention hearing may

1-16     not be waived but subsequent detention hearings may be waived in

1-17     accordance with the requirements of Section 51.09 [of this code].

1-18     Each subsequent detention order shall extend for no more than 20

1-19     [10] working days.

1-20           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

1-21     only to a child who is taken into custody for conduct that occurs

1-22     on or after the effective date of this Act.  Conduct violating a

1-23     penal law of this state occurs on or after the effective date of

1-24     this Act if every element of the violation occurs on or after that

1-25     date.

1-26           (b)  Conduct that occurs before the effective date of this

1-27     Act is covered by the law in effect at the time the conduct

1-28     occurred, and the former law is continued in effect for that

1-29     purpose.

1-30           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-31           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-32     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-33     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-34     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-35     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-36                                  * * * * *