By West                                         S.B. No. 1001

      75R7757 GWK-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the offense of possessing a firearm, illegal knife,

 1-3     club, or prohibited weapon in a place where weapons are prohibited.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 46.03(a), Penal Code, is amended to read

 1-6     as follows:

 1-7           (a)  A person commits an offense if the person intentionally,

 1-8     knowingly, or recklessly possesses [, with] a firearm, illegal

 1-9     knife, club, or prohibited weapon listed in Section 46.05(a)[, he

1-10     intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly goes]:

1-11                 (1)  on the physical premises of a school or

1-12     educational institution, any grounds or building on which an

1-13     activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being

1-14     conducted, or a passenger transportation vehicle of a school or

1-15     educational institution, whether the school or educational

1-16     institution is public or private, unless pursuant to written

1-17     regulations or written authorization of the institution;

1-18                 (2)  on the premises of a polling place on the day of

1-19     an election or while early voting is in progress;

1-20                 (3)  in any government court or offices utilized by the

1-21     court, unless pursuant to written regulations or written

1-22     authorization of the court;

1-23                 (4)  on the premises of a racetrack; or

1-24                 (5)  in [into] a secured area of an airport.

 2-1           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

 2-2     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this

 2-3     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before

 2-4     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs

 2-5     before the effective date.

 2-6           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this

 2-7     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

 2-8     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

 2-9           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-10           SECTION 4.  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.