By: Moncrief, Shapiro, Shapleigh S.B. No. 60
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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 that is equipped with
1-8 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 pickup
1-16 truck.
1-17 (2) "Safety belt" means a lap belt and any shoulder
1-18 straps included as original equipment on or added to a vehicle
1-19 [with a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of not more than
1-20 1,500 pounds].
1-21 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
1-22 only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
1-23 Act. For the purposes of this section, an offense is committed
1-24 before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
2-1 occurs before that date.
2-2 (b) An offense committed before the effective date of this
2-3 Act is governed by the law in effect when the offense was
2-4 committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that
2-5 purpose.
2-6 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-7 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
2-8 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-9 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-10 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-11 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
2-12 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1
2-13 Amend S.B. No. 60 as follows:
2-14 (1) On page 1, line 7, between "passenger car" and "that is
2-15 equipped", insert "or light truck".
2-16 (2) On page 1, strike lines 14-20, and substitute the
2-17 following:
2-18 (h) In this section:
2-19 (1) "Passenger[,"passenger] car" includes a truck with
2-20 a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of not more than 1,500
2-21 pounds.
2-22 (2) "Safety belt" means a lap belt and any shoulder
2-23 straps included as original equipment on or added to a vehicle.
2-24 Alexander