1-1     By:  Nelson, Zaffirini, Shapiro                         S.B. No. 18
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed November 13, 2000; January 10, 2001,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
 1-4     February 15, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas
 1-5     4, Nays 0; February 15, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the creation of the offense of interfering with an
 1-9     emergency telephone call.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Chapter 42, Penal Code, is amended by adding
1-12     Section 42.062 to read as follows:
1-13           Sec. 42.062.  INTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY TELEPHONE CALL.
1-14     (a)  A person commits an offense if the person with criminal
1-15     negligence prevents or otherwise interferes with a telephone call
1-16     made or attempted by another to request assistance in an emergency
1-17     from a law enforcement agency, medical facility, or other agency or
1-18     entity the primary purpose of which is to provide for the safety of
1-19     individuals.
1-20           (b)  An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor,
1-21     except that the offense is a state jail felony if the actor has
1-22     previously been convicted under this section.
1-23           (c)  In this section, "emergency" means a condition or
1-24     circumstance in which any person is or is reasonably believed by
1-25     the person making a telephone call to be in imminent danger of
1-26     serious bodily injury or in which property is or is reasonably
1-27     believed by the person making the telephone call to be in imminent
1-28     danger of damage or destruction.
1-29           SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
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