1-1           By:  Brown                                       S.B. No. 329

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 28, 1997; February 3, 1997,

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

 1-4     February 12, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas

 1-5     6, Nays 0; February 12, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the offense of making a false report to a peace officer

 1-9     or to an employee of a law enforcement agency.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 37.08, Penal Code, is amended to read as

1-12     follows:

1-13           Sec. 37.08.  FALSE REPORT TO PEACE OFFICER OR LAW ENFORCEMENT

1-14     EMPLOYEE. (a)  A person commits an offense if, with intent to

1-15     deceive, he knowingly makes a false statement that is material to a

1-16     criminal investigation and makes the statement to:

1-17                 (1)  a peace officer conducting the [a criminal]

1-18     investigation; or

1-19                 (2)  any employee of a law enforcement agency that is

1-20     conducting [and the statement is material to] the investigation.

1-21           (b)  An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.

1-22           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-23           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-25     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-26     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-27     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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