1-1 By: West S.B. No. 839 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 3, 1999; March 4, 1999, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; 1-4 April 9, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7, 1-5 Nays 0; April 9, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to security bars on residential dwellings. 1-9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-10 SECTION 1. Chapter 756, Health and Safety Code, is amended 1-11 by adding Subchapter F to read as follows: 1-12 SUBCHAPTER F. SECURITY BARS 1-13 Sec. 756.081. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: 1-14 (1) "Bedroom" means an area of a dwelling intended as 1-15 sleeping quarters. 1-16 (2) "Board" means the Texas Board of Health. 1-17 (3) "Department" means the Texas Department of Health. 1-18 (4) "Residential dwelling" includes a single-family 1-19 home, a duplex, a triplex, an apartment, a motel or hotel, and a 1-20 mobile home. 1-21 (5) "Security bars" means burglar bars or other bars 1-22 located on the inside or outside of a door or window of a 1-23 residential dwelling. 1-24 Sec. 756.082. SECURITY BARS ON RESIDENTIAL DWELLING. A 1-25 person may not install security bars on a door or window of a 1-26 bedroom in a residential dwelling unless: 1-27 (1) the security bars on at least one door or window 1-28 in the bedroom have an interior release mechanism; or 1-29 (2) at least one window or door from the bedroom to 1-30 the exterior may be opened for emergency escape or rescue. 1-31 Sec. 756.083. LABELING REQUIREMENT. A person may not sell 1-32 security bars or offer security bars for sale in this state unless 1-33 the security bars or their packaging are labeled in accordance with 1-34 rules adopted by the state fire marshal. The required label must 1-35 state the requirements of Section 756.082. 1-36 Sec. 756.084. TESTING. (a) To qualify for use under 1-37 Section 756.082(1), an interior release mechanism must be tested 1-38 and shown to be effective by the state fire marshal or by a testing 1-39 laboratory under conditions and procedures approved by the state 1-40 fire marshal. 1-41 (b) The state fire marshal shall adopt rules to implement 1-42 this section. 1-43 SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-44 (b) The state fire marshal shall adopt the rules required by 1-45 Sections 756.083 and 756.084, Health and Safety Code, as added by 1-46 this Act, not later than December 15, 1999. 1-47 SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only 1-48 to security bars installed, sold, or offered for sale on or after 1-49 January 1, 2000. Security bars installed, sold, or offered for 1-50 sale before that date are governed by the law in effect on the date 1-51 the security bars were installed, sold, or offered for sale, and 1-52 the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. 1-53 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-54 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-55 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-56 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-57 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-58 * * * * *