By Talton                                              H.B. No. 417
         76R2921 KEL-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the venue for certain offenses committed against
 1-3     children.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 13, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 1-6     amended by adding Article 13.151 to read as follows:
 1-7           Art. 13.151.  CERTAIN OFFENSES AGAINST CHILDREN.  An offense
 1-8     under Chapter 21 or 22, Penal Code, or Section 25.02 or 43.25,
 1-9     Penal Code, committed against a child younger than 15 years of age
1-10     may be prosecuted in the county in which the child resides at the
1-11     time the information or indictment alleging the offense is
1-12     presented.
1-13           SECTION 2.  (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-14           (b)  The change in law made by this Act applies only to an
1-15     offense that occurs on or after the effective date of this Act.
1-16     For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before the
1-17     effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
1-18     before that date.
1-19           (c)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-20     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
1-21     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-22           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.