By Hupp                                                H.B. No. 534
         76R2715 DWS-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to persons required to be secured by a motor vehicle
 1-3     safety belt.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 545.413(a), Transportation Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  A person commits an offense if the person:
 1-8                 (1)  is at least 15 years of age but younger than 18
 1-9     years of age;
1-10                 (2)  is riding in the front seat of a passenger car
1-11     while the vehicle is being operated;
1-12                 (3)  is occupying a seat that is equipped with a safety
1-13     belt; and
1-14                 (4)  is not secured by a safety belt.
1-15           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
1-16     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
1-17     Act.  For the purposes of this section, an offense is committed
1-18     before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
1-19     occurs before that date.
1-20           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-21     Act is governed by the law in effect when the offense was
1-22     committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that
1-23     purpose.
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.