1-1     By:  Harris                                            S.B. No. 612

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 14, 1997; February 19, 1997,

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

 1-4     April 30, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 5,

 1-5     Nays 1; April 30, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to a defense to prosecution for endangering a child.

 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-10           SECTION 1.  Section 22.041, Penal Code, is amended by adding

1-11     Subsection (g) to read as follows:

1-12           (g)  It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (c) that

1-13     the act or omission enables the child to practice for or

1-14     participate in an organized athletic event and that appropriate

1-15     safety equipment and procedures are employed in the event.

1-16           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.  The

1-17     change in law made by this Act applies only to an offense committed

1-18     on or after September 1, 1997.  An offense committed before

1-19     September 1, 1997, is covered by the law in effect when the offense

1-20     was committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that

1-21     purpose.  For purposes of this section, an offense was committed

1-22     before September 1, 1997, if any element of the offense occurred

1-23     before that date.

1-24           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-25     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-26     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-27     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-28     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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