AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the date for a hearing on an application for a

 1-2     protective order.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 84.002, Family Code, as

 1-5     added by S.B. No. 797, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular

 1-6     Session, 1997, is amended to read as follows:

 1-7           (a)  On the request of the prosecuting attorney in a county

 1-8     with a population of more than 1.5 million or in a county in a

 1-9     judicial district that is composed of more than one county, the

1-10     court shall set the hearing on a date and time not later than 20

1-11     days after the date the application is filed or 20 days after the

1-12     date a request is made to reschedule a hearing under Section

1-13     84.003.

1-14           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-15     applies only to an application for a protective order made on or

1-16     after that date.  An application for a protective order made before

1-17     the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on

1-18     the date the application was made, and the former law is continued

1-19     in effect for that purpose.

1-20           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-1     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. 299 passed the Senate on

         March 26, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that

         the Senate concurred in House amendments on May 31, 1997, by a

         viva-voce vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Secretary of the Senate

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 299 passed the House, with

         amendments, on May 21, 1997, by a non-record vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House

         Approved:

         _______________________________

                     Date

         _______________________________

                   Governor