By:  Ratliff, Shapiro                                  S.B. No. 691

              Patterson

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the regulation of detection devices and alarm systems

 1-2     companies under the Private Investigators and Private Security

 1-3     Agencies Act.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subdivisions (5) and (33), Section 2, Private

 1-6     Investigators and Private Security Agencies Act (Article

 1-7     4413(29bb), Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), are amended to read as

 1-8     follows:

 1-9                 (5)  "Alarm systems company" means a [any] person who

1-10     [that sells,] installs, services, monitors, or responds to alarm

1-11     systems, burglar alarm signal devices, detection devices, burglar

1-12     alarms, robbery alarms, television cameras, or still cameras used

1-13     to signal the presence of an emergency or other hazard requiring

1-14     urgent attention and to which law enforcement or other emergency

1-15     services are expected to respond[, or any other electrical,

1-16     mechanical, or electronic device used:]

1-17                       [(A)  to prevent or detect burglary, theft,

1-18     robbery, shoplifting, pilferage, shrinkage, or other losses of that

1-19     type;]

1-20                       [(B)  to prevent or detect intrusion; or]

1-21                       [(C)  primarily to detect or summon aid for other

1-22     emergencies].

1-23                 (33)  "Detection device" means an electronic device

 2-1     used as a part of a burglar or hold-up alarm including any control,

 2-2     communications, motion detector, door or window switch, sound

 2-3     detector, vibration detector, light beam, pressure mat, wiring, or

 2-4     similar device[; or any electronic device used to limit access by

 2-5     persons into building structures or gate compounds, including any

 2-6     control, communications, motion detector, door or window switch,

 2-7     card or proximity readers, push-button key pad entry, gate entry

 2-8     device, door exit buttons, or similar device].

 2-9           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-10           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-11     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-12     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-13     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-14     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.