By:  Madla                                    S.B. No. 477

         97S0247/1                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to requiring courts hearing criminal cases to report

 1-2     certain persons who are not citizens of the United States to the

 1-3     federal government.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Article 2.25, Code of Criminal Procedure, is

 1-6     amended to read as follows:

 1-7           Art. 2.25.  REPORTING CERTAIN ALIENS TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

 1-8     A judge or the judge's designee shall report to the United States

 1-9     Immigration and Naturalization Service a person who is not a

1-10     citizen of the United States and who has been:

1-11                 (1)  convicted in the judge's court of a crime;

1-12                 (2)  adjudicated in the judge's court as having engaged

1-13     in conduct constituting a criminal offense; or

1-14                 (3)  granted [has been placed on] deferred adjudication

1-15     and placed on community supervision by the judge [for a felony and

1-16     is an illegal criminal alien as defined by Section 493.015(a),

1-17     Government Code].

1-18           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-19     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-20     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-21     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-22     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-23     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 2-1     passage, and it is so enacted.