By Lucio                                        S.B. No. 1769

      75R3789 JD-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the possession or use of a code grabbing device;

 1-3     creating an offense.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 31, Penal Code, is amended by adding

 1-6     Section 31.14 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 31.14.  POSSESSION OR USE OF CODE GRABBING DEVICE.

 1-8     (a)  A person commits an offense if the person:

 1-9                 (1)  possesses a code grabbing device with the intent

1-10     to use it in the commission of an unlawful act; or

1-11                 (2)  uses a code grabbing device to disarm the security

1-12     alarm system of a motor vehicle with the intent to commit an

1-13     unlawful act.

1-14           (b)  An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

1-15           (c)  In this section, "code grabbing device" means a device

1-16     that can:

1-17                 (1)  receive and record the coded signal sent by the

1-18     transmitter of a motor vehicle security alarm system; and

1-19                 (2)  play back the signal to disarm that system.

1-20           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-21           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.