By Hardcastle                                          H.B. No. 971
         77R1257 JAT-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to safety belt requirements in passenger vehicles.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1. Sections 545.413(a), (b), (c), and (h),
 1-5     Transportation Code, are amended to read as follows:
 1-6           (a)  A person commits an offense if the person:
 1-7                 (1)  is at least 15 years of age;
 1-8                 (2)  is riding in the front seat of a passenger car or
 1-9     light truck while the vehicle is being operated;
1-10                 (3)  is occupying a seat that is equipped with a safety
1-11     belt; and
1-12                 (4)  is not secured by a properly fastened and adjusted
1-13     safety belt.
1-14           (b)  A person commits an offense if the person:
1-15                 (1)  operates a passenger car or light truck that is
1-16     equipped with safety belts; and
1-17                 (2)  allows a child who is at least four years of age
1-18     but younger than 15 years of age to ride in the vehicle without
1-19     requiring the child to be secured by a properly fastened and
1-20     adjusted safety belt, provided the child is occupying a seat that
1-21     is equipped with a safety belt.
1-22           (c)  A [passenger car or a] seat in a passenger car or light
1-23     truck is considered to be equipped with a safety belt if the
1-24     vehicle is required under Section 547.601 to be equipped with
 2-1     safety belts.
 2-2           (h)  In this section, "safety[:]
 2-3                 [(1)  "Passenger car" includes a truck with a
 2-4     manufacturer's rated carrying capacity of not more than 1,500
 2-5     pounds.]
 2-6                 [(2)  "Safety] belt" means a lap belt and any shoulder
 2-7     straps included as original equipment on or added to a vehicle.
 2-8           SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
 2-9           (b)  The change in law made by this Act applies only to an
2-10     offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.  For
2-11     purposes of this section, an offense is committed before the
2-12     effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
2-13     before that date.
2-14           (c)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
2-15     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
2-16     and the former law is  continued in effect for that purpose.