By Driver                                              H.B. No. 320
         76R2120 KEL-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to  the punishment for certain offenses that result in
 1-3     injury to an animal used in law enforcement.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 38.15(b), Penal Code, is amended to read
 1-6     as follows:
 1-7           (b)  Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, an [An]
 1-8     offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.  An offense
 1-9     under Subsection (a)(4) that causes serious bodily injury or death
1-10     to the animal is a felony of the third degree.
1-11           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
1-12     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
1-13     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before
1-14     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
1-15     before that date.
1-16           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-17     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
1-18     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-19           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-20           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-24     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.