By Williams                                           H.B. No. 3404
         76R861 KEL-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the punishment for the offense of making a false
 1-3     statement to obtain property or credit.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 32.32(c), Penal Code, is amended to read
 1-6     as follows:
 1-7           (c)  An offense under this section is:
 1-8                 (1)  a Class C misdemeanor if the value of the property
 1-9     or the amount of credit is less than $50;
1-10                 (2)  a Class B misdemeanor if the value of the property
1-11     or the amount of credit is $50 or more but less than $500;
1-12                 (3)  a Class A misdemeanor if the value of the property
1-13     or the amount of credit is $500 or more but less than $1,500;
1-14                 (4)  a state jail felony if the value of the property
1-15     or the amount of credit is $1,500 or more but less than $20,000;
1-16                 (5)  a felony of the third degree if the value of the
1-17     property or the amount of credit is $20,000 or more but less than
1-18     $100,000;
1-19                 (6)  a felony of the second degree if the value of the
1-20     property or the amount of credit is $100,000 or more but less than
1-21     $200,000; or
1-22                 (7)  a felony of the first degree if the value of the
1-23     property or the amount of credit is $200,000 or more.
1-24           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
 2-1     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
 2-2     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before
 2-3     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
 2-4     before that date.
 2-5           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
 2-6     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
 2-7     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
 2-8           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
 2-9           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-10     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-11     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-12     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-13     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.