1-1     By:  Martinez Fischer (Senate Sponsor - Armbrister)   H.B. No. 2856
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 7, 2001;
 1-3     May 7, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
 1-4     Justice; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to certain criminal offenses involving bail bond activity;
 1-9     increasing a penalty.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1. Sections 1704.303(b) and (c), Occupations Code,
1-12     are amended to read as follows:
1-13           (b)  A person may not advertise as a bail bond surety unless
1-14     the person:
1-15                 (1)  holds a license issued under this chapter; and
1-16                 (2)  lists in the advertisement the county or counties
1-17     in which the person holds a bail bond surety license.
1-18           (c)  A person commits an offense if the person violates this
1-19     section.  An offense under this section is a Class B [C]
1-20     misdemeanor.
1-21           SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
1-22           SECTION 3. (a)  The change in law made by this Act to Section
1-23     1704.303, Occupations Code, applies only to an offense committed on
1-24     or after the effective date of this Act.
1-25           (b)  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed
1-26     before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
1-27     occurs before that date.  An offense committed before the effective
1-28     date of this Act is covered by the law in effect on the date the
1-29     offense is committed, and the former law is continued in effect for
1-30     that purpose.
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