By Nelson                                               S.B. No. 16
         77R1530 GWK-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to certain issues affecting the punishment of the offense
 1-3     of murder.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 19.02(a)(1), Penal Code, is amended to
 1-6     read as follows:
 1-7                 (1)  "Adequate cause" means cause that would commonly
 1-8     produce a degree of [anger, rage, resentment, or] terror in a
 1-9     person of ordinary temper, sufficient to render the mind incapable
1-10     of cool reflection.
1-11           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
1-12     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
1-13     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before
1-14     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
1-15     before the effective date.
1-16           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-17     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
1-18     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-19           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.