By McClendon                                           H.B. No. 139
         76R433 KEL-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to maintenance by the Department of Public Safety   of a
 1-3     toll-free telephone number to provide public access to certain sex
 1-4     offender registration information.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 411.135(b), Government Code, as added by
 1-7     Chapter 747, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997,
 1-8     is amended to read as follows:
 1-9           (b)  The department by rule shall design and implement a
1-10     system to respond to electronic inquiries and other inquiries for
1-11     information  described by Subsection (a).  The department shall
1-12     also maintain a toll-free telephone number that a person may call
1-13     to obtain information  described by Subsection (a)(1).
1-14           SECTION 2.  The Department of Public Safety shall implement
1-15     the toll-free telephone number described by Section 411.135(b),
1-16     Government Code, as amended by  this Act, no later than October 1,
1-17     1999.
1-18           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-19           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-20     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-21     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-22     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-23     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.