By Hochberg                                            H.B. No. 210
         76R1653 PEP-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the standard of alcohol concentration used in defining
 1-3     the term  "intoxicated" for the purposes of certain offenses
 1-4     involving intoxication.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 49.01(2), Penal Code, is amended to read
 1-7     as follows:
 1-8                 (2)  "Intoxicated" means:
 1-9                       (A)  not having the normal use of mental or
1-10     physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a
1-11     controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of
1-12     two or more of those substances, or any other substance into the
1-13     body; or
1-14                       (B)  having an alcohol concentration of 0.08
1-15     [0.10] or more.
1-16           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
1-17     to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.
1-18     An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is
1-19     covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and
1-20     the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.  For
1-21     purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the
1-22     effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred
1-23     before the effective date.
1-24           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
 2-1           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-2     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-3     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-4     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-5     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.