1-1     By:  Nelson                                             S.B. No. 23
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed November 9, 1998; January 26, 1999,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
 1-4     March 1, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 7,
 1-5     Nays 0; March 1, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the duration of certain emergency protection orders
 1-9     issued by magistrates.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Subsection (i), Article 17.292, Code of Criminal
1-12     Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
1-13           (i)  An order for emergency protection issued under this
1-14     article is effective on issuance, and the defendant shall be served
1-15     a copy of the order in open court.  An order for emergency
1-16     protection issued under this article remains in effect until the
1-17     61st [31st] day after the date of issuance.
1-18           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
1-19     to the duration of an order for emergency protection issued on or
1-20     after the effective date of this Act.  The duration of an order for
1-21     emergency protection issued before the effective date of this Act
1-22     is covered by the law in effect when the order was issued, and the
1-23     former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-24           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-25           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-28     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-29     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-30                                  * * * * *