By Harris                                        S.B. No. 677

      75R5807 PAM-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the regulation of automotive wrecking and salvage yards

 1-3     in certain counties; providing a penalty.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 396.024(b), Transportation Code, is

 1-6     amended to read as follows:

 1-7           (b)  An offense under this section is a [Class C] misdemeanor

 1-8     punishable by a fine of not less than $100 or more than $500.

 1-9           SECTION 2.  Section 396.041(c), Transportation Code, is

1-10     amended to read as follows:

1-11           (c)  An ordinance may:

1-12                 (1)  impose a fee of $25 for the issuance or renewal of

1-13     a license, if the ordinance is adopted by the commissioners court

1-14     of a county with a population of less than 1,000,000;

1-15                 (2)  impose a fee of not more than $250 for the

1-16     issuance or renewal of a license, if the ordinance is adopted by

1-17     the commissioners court of a county with a population of one

1-18     million or more;

1-19                 (3)  condition the license on the operation of the

1-20     junkyard or automotive wrecking and salvage yard only at a location

1-21     approved by the commissioners court; or

1-22                 (4) [(3)]  establish grounds for suspending or revoking

1-23     a license if the junkyard or automotive wrecking and salvage yard

1-24     is not screened.

 2-1           SECTION 3.  Section 396.045(b), Transportation Code, is

 2-2     amended to read as follows:

 2-3           (b)  An offense under this section is a [Class C] misdemeanor

 2-4     punishable by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $500.

 2-5           SECTION 4.  (a)  The change in law made by Sections 1 and 3

 2-6     of this Act applies only to an offense committed on or after the

 2-7     effective date of this Act.  For purposes of this section, an

 2-8     offense is committed before the effective date of this Act if any

 2-9     element of the offense occurs before that date.

2-10           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this

2-11     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

2-12     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

2-13           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.