By Jones of Dallas                                     H.B. No. 885
         77R2740 JAT-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the offense of unlawfully carrying a handgun by a
 1-3     license holder on the premises of certain places of religious
 1-4     worship.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 46.035(f)(3), Penal Code, is amended to
 1-7     read as follows:
 1-8                 (3)  "Premises" means a building or a portion of a
 1-9     building, including a building or a portion of a building that is
1-10     part of an established place of religious worship.  The term does
1-11     not include any public or private driveway, street, sidewalk or
1-12     walkway, parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area.
1-13           SECTION 2.  Section 46.035(i), Penal Code, is amended to read
1-14     as follows:
1-15           (i)  Subsections (b)(4), (b)(5), [(b)(6),] and (c) do not
1-16     apply if the actor was not given effective notice under Section
1-17     30.06.  Subsection (b)(6) does not apply if a majority of the
1-18     members of the church, synagogue, or other established place of
1-19     religious worship:
1-20                 (1)  decides not to apply the subdivision to members of
1-21     the congregation of the place of religious worship; and
1-22                 (2)  provides notice of that decision to members of the
1-23     congregation and to any new members as those members join the
1-24     congregation.
 2-1           SECTION 3.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
 2-2     to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.
 2-3     An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is
 2-4     covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and
 2-5     the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.  For
 2-6     purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the
 2-7     effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred
 2-8     before that date.
 2-9           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.