75R10437 GWK-D                          

         By Brown                                               S.B. No. 329

         Substitute the following for S.B. No. 329:

         By Keel                                            C.S.S.B. No. 329

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the offense of making a false report to a peace officer

 1-3     or to an employee of a law enforcement agency.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 37.08, Penal Code, is amended to read as

 1-6     follows:

 1-7           Sec. 37.08.  FALSE REPORT TO PEACE OFFICER OR LAW ENFORCEMENT

 1-8     EMPLOYEE.  (a)  A person commits an offense if, with intent to

 1-9     deceive, he  knowingly makes a false statement that is material to

1-10     a criminal investigation and makes the statement to:

1-11                 (1)  a peace officer conducting the [a criminal]

1-12     investigation; or

1-13                 (2)  any employee of a law enforcement agency that is

1-14     authorized by the agency to conduct the investigation and that the

1-15     actor knows is conducting [and the statement is material to] the

1-16     investigation.

1-17           (b)  In this section, "law enforcement agency" has the

1-18     meaning assigned by Article 59.01, Code of Criminal Procedure.

1-19           (c)  An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.

1-20           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-21           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.