By:  Carona                                            S.B. No. 650
         99S0492/1                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to the definition of intoxicated for purposes of certain
 1-2     offenses involving intoxication.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subdivision (2), Section 49.01, Penal Code, is
 1-5     amended to read as follows:
 1-6                 (2)  "Intoxicated" means:
 1-7                       (A)  not having the normal use of mental or
 1-8     physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a
 1-9     controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of
1-10     two or more of those substances, or any other substance into the
1-11     body; or
1-12                       (B)  having an alcohol concentration of 0.08
1-13     [0.10] or more.
1-14           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
1-15     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
1-16     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before
1-17     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
1-18     before that date.
1-19           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-20     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
1-21     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-22           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-23           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-2     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.