1-1     By:  Truan                                             S.B. No. 559

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 12, 1997; February 17, 1997,

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

 1-4     April 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 7,

 1-5     Nays 0; April 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the suspension of the driver's license of a minor for

 1-9     certain conduct.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter O, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,

1-12     is amended by adding Section 521.348 to read as follows:

1-13           Sec. 521.348.  SUSPENSION ON CONVICTION OF OR ADJUDICATION OF

1-14     DELINQUENT CONDUCT CONSTITUTING CERTAIN OFFENSES BY MINOR.  The

1-15     license of a person who is younger than 18 years of age is

1-16     automatically suspended on final conviction of or a final

1-17     adjudication of delinquent conduct that constitutes:

1-18                 (1)  an offense under Section 22.05(b), Penal Code, if

1-19     the offense was committed while in a motor vehicle;

1-20                 (2)  an offense under Section 46.03(a)(1), Penal Code;

1-21     or

1-22                 (3)  an offense under Chapter 46, Penal Code, if the

1-23     offense was committed while in a motor vehicle.

1-24           SECTION 2.  Subsection (a), Section 54.042, Family Code, is

1-25     amended to read as follows:

1-26           (a)  A juvenile court, in a disposition hearing under Section

1-27     54.04 of this code, shall:

1-28                 (1)  order the Department of Public Safety of the State

1-29     of Texas to suspend a child's driver's license or permit, or if the

1-30     child does not have a license or permit, to deny the issuance of a

1-31     license or permit to the child if the court finds that the child

1-32     has engaged in conduct that violates Section 521.342,

1-33     Transportation Code [a law of this state enumerated in Section

1-34     24(a-1), Chapter 173, Acts of the 47th Legislature, Regular

1-35     Session, 1941 (Article 6687b, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)]; [or]

1-36                 (2)  notify the Department of Public Safety of the

1-37     State of Texas of the adjudication, if the court finds that the

1-38     child has engaged in conduct that violates Section 521.372,

1-39     Transportation Code; or

1-40                 (3)  notify the Department of Public Safety of the

1-41     State of Texas of an adjudication in which the court finds that the

1-42     child has engaged in conduct that violates:

1-43                       (A)  Section 22.05(b), Penal Code, if the child

1-44     engaged in the conduct while in a motor vehicle;

1-45                       (B)  Section 46.03(a)(1), Penal Code; or

1-46                       (C)  a section under Chapter 46, Penal Code, if

1-47     the child engaged in the conduct while in a motor vehicle [a law of

1-48     this state enumerated in Section 24B(b), Chapter 173, Acts of the

1-49     47th Legislature, Regular Session, 1941 (Article 6687b, Vernon's

1-50     Texas Civil Statutes)].

1-51           SECTION 3.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

1-52     only to a minor convicted of or adjudicated of delinquent conduct

1-53     constituting an offense committed on or after the effective date of

1-54     this Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed

1-55     before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense

1-56     occurs before that date.

1-57           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this

1-58     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

1-59     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

1-60           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-61           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-62     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-63     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-64     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

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

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