1-1 By: Thompson (Senate Sponsor - West) H.B. No. 2535 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 19, 1999; 1-3 April 20, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Jurisprudence; May 11, 1999, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 3, Nays 0; May 11, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the dismissal of certain offenses involving the failure 1-9 to maintain financial responsibility for a motor vehicle. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Section 601.193, Transportation Code, is amended 1-12 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 601.193. DEFENSE: FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN EFFECT 1-14 AT TIME OF ALLEGED OFFENSE. (a) It is a defense to prosecution 1-15 under Section 601.191 or 601.195 that the person charged produces 1-16 to the court one of the documents listed in Section 601.053(a) that 1-17 was valid at the time that the offense is alleged to have occurred. 1-18 (b) After the court verifies a document produced under 1-19 Subsection (a), the court shall dismiss the charge. 1-20 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, and 1-21 applies only to an offense that occurs on or after that date. An 1-22 offense that occurs before that date is covered by the law in 1-23 effect at the time the offense was committed, and the former law is 1-24 continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this 1-25 section, an offense is committed before the effective date of this 1-26 Act if any element of the offense occurs before that date. 1-27 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-28 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-29 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-30 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-31 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-32 * * * * *