AN ACT
1-1 relating to the wearing of safety belts by certain vehicle
1-2 passengers; providing penalties.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subsections (b) and (h), Section 545.413,
1-5 Transportation Code, are amended to read as follows:
1-6 (b) A person commits an offense if the person:
1-7 (1) operates a passenger car or light truck that is
1-8 equipped with safety belts; and
1-9 (2) allows a child who is at least four years of age
1-10 but younger than 15 years of age to ride in [the front seat of] the
1-11 vehicle without requiring the child to be secured by a safety belt,
1-12 provided the child is occupying a seat that is equipped with a
1-13 safety belt.
1-14 (h) In this section:
1-15 (1) "Passenger[, "passenger] car" includes a truck
1-16 with a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of not more than
1-17 1,500 pounds.
1-18 (2) "Safety belt" means a lap belt and any shoulder
1-19 straps included as original equipment on or added to a vehicle.
1-20 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
1-21 only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
1-22 Act. For the purposes of this section, an offense is committed
1-23 before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
1-24 occurs before that date.
2-1 (b) An offense committed before the effective date of this
2-2 Act is governed by the law in effect when the offense was
2-3 committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that
2-4 purpose.
2-5 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-6 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
2-7 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-8 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-9 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-10 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 60 passed the Senate on
March 24, 1999, by a viva-voce vote; and that the Senate concurred
in House amendment on May 21, 1999, by a viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 60 passed the House, with
amendment, on May 19, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
_______________________________
Date
_______________________________
Governor