By Patterson                                    S.B. No. 1085

      75R3986 GGS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to punishments for certain criminal offenses under the

 1-3     Election Code.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 13.007(b), Election Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           (b)  An offense under this section is a felony of the third

 1-8     degree [Class B misdemeanor].

 1-9           SECTION 2.  Section 64.036(d), Election Code, is amended to

1-10     read as follows:

1-11           (d)  An offense under this section is a felony of the third

1-12     degree [Class B misdemeanor].

1-13           SECTION 3.  Section 84.004(e), Election Code, is amended to

1-14     read as follows:

1-15           (e)  An offense under this section is a felony of the third

1-16     degree [Class B misdemeanor].

1-17           SECTION 4.  Section 84.0041(b), Election Code, is amended to

1-18     read as follows:

1-19           (b)  An offense under this section is a felony of the third

1-20     degree [Class B misdemeanor].

1-21           SECTION 5.  (a)  The changes in law made by this Act apply

1-22     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this

1-23     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense was committed before

1-24     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense

 2-1     occurred before that date.

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

 2-3     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

 2-4     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

 2-5           SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-6           SECTION 7.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-7     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-8     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-9     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-10     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.