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                                  * * * * *