HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, The Texas Penal Code has been selected as the
 1-2     best-written, best-integrated penal code in the United States
 1-3     today; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, This conclusion was reached in a study by Professor
 1-5     Paul H. Robinson of the Northwestern University Law School and two
 1-6     of his former students and is contained in their Northwestern
 1-7     University Law Review article, "The Five Worst (and Five Best)
 1-8     American Criminal Codes," published in Fall 2000; and
 1-9           WHEREAS, The authors evaluated the penal codes of all 52
1-10     jurisdictions  with regard to five criteria: 1)  how
1-11     comprehensively the code states the law's commands; 2)  how
1-12     effectively the code communicates the law's commands to the public;
1-13     3)  how comprehensive and accessible the code's rules are with
1-14     regard to determining whether to impose liability and the general
1-15     grade of punishment to be imposed; 4)  how accurately the code
1-16     assesses who does and who does not deserve criminal liability; and
1-17     5)  how accurately the code assesses the proper grade of punishment
1-18     deserved by offenders who are held criminally liable; and
1-19           WHEREAS, Much of the credit for the writing of the present
1-20     Texas Penal Code belongs to the Legal Division of the Texas
1-21     Legislative Council, which drafted a revised penal code that was
1-22     adopted by the 63rd Texas Legislature in 1973; council attorneys
1-23     were also responsible for a rewrite of the revised penal code
1-24     adopted by the 73rd Legislature in 1993 in response to
 2-1     recommendations of the Texas Punishment Standards Commission; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, The State of Texas has a penal code that admirably
 2-3     serves its citizens and is recognized by legal scholars for its
 2-4     clarity, comprehensiveness, and accuracy, and the council attorneys
 2-5     and others who were involved in the drafting and preparation of
 2-6     this code are indeed deserving of special tribute; now, therefore,
 2-7     be it
 2-8           RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
 2-9     hereby commend the Texas Legislative Council for its excellent work
2-10     on the revised Texas Penal Code, the best-written criminal code in
2-11     the United States of America.
                                                                     Goodman
                                                                        Gray
         _______________________________     _______________________________
             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House
               I certify that H.C.R. No. 200 was adopted by the House on May
         5, 2001, by a non-record vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House
               I certify that H.C.R. No. 200 was adopted by the Senate on
         May 22, 2001, by a viva-voce vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Secretary of the Senate
         APPROVED:  __________________________
                              Date
                    __________________________
                            Governor