By:  Lucio                                   S.B. No. 1280

         97S0816/1                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to participation in benefits from the Employees Retirement

 1-2     System of Texas for certain law enforcement officers.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subdivision (9), Section 811.001, Government

 1-5     Code, is amended to read as follows:

 1-6           (9)  "Law enforcement officer" means a member of the

 1-7     retirement system who has been commissioned as a law enforcement

 1-8     officer by the Department of Public Safety, the Texas Alcoholic

 1-9     Beverage Commission, the State Purchasing and General Services

1-10     Commission, Capitol Area Security Force, the State Board of

1-11     Pharmacy, the Texas Lottery Commission, or the Parks and Wildlife

1-12     Department and who is recognized as a commissioned law enforcement

1-13     officer by the Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and

1-14     Education.

1-15           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-16           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-17     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-18     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-19     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-20     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.