By Dunnam                                             H.B. No. 1594
         77R5382 DWS-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to allowing a train to stand on a street, railroad
 1-3     crossing, or highway.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Sections 471.007(a) and (d), Transportation Code,
 1-6     are amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  A railway company commits an offense if a train of the
 1-8     railway company is allowed to stand [obstructs] for more than 10
 1-9     minutes on a street, railroad crossing, or public highway.
1-10           (d)  It is a defense to prosecution under this section that
1-11     the train is allowed to stand on [obstructs] the street, railroad
1-12     crossing, or public highway because of an act of God or breakdown
1-13     of the train.
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 the purposes of this section, an offense is committed
1-17     before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
1-18     occurs before that date.
1-19           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-20     Act is governed by the law in effect when the offense was
1-21     committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that
1-22     purpose.
1-23           SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.