By:  Staples                                           S.B. No. 629
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to authorizing the attorney general to administer oaths.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  AMENDMENT.  Section 602.002, Government Code, as
 1-5     amended by Chapters 325, 638, and 653, Acts of the 76th
 1-6     Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, is amended to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 602.002.  Oath Made in Texas.  An oath made in this
 1-8     state may be administered and a certificate of the fact given by:
 1-9                 (1)  a judge or a clerk of a municipal court, in a
1-10     matter pertaining to a duty of the court;
1-11                 (2)  a judge, clerk, or commissioner of a court of
1-12     record;
1-13                 (3)  a justice of the peace or a clerk of a justice
1-14     court;
1-15                 (4)  a notary public;
1-16                 (5)  a member of a board or commission created by a law
1-17     of this state, in a matter pertaining to a duty of the board or
1-18     commission;
1-19                 (6)  a person employed by the Texas Ethics Commission
1-20     who has a duty related to a report required by Title 15, Election
1-21     Code, in a matter pertaining to that duty;
1-22                 (7)  a county tax assessor-collector or an employee of
1-23     the county tax assessor-collector if the oath relates to a document
1-24     that is required or authorized to be filed in the office of the
1-25     county tax assessor-collector;
 2-1                 (8)  the secretary of state;
 2-2                 (9)  the lieutenant governor;
 2-3                 (10)  the speaker of the house of representatives; [or]
 2-4                 (11)  the governor;
 2-5                 (12)  the attorney general;
 2-6                 (13)  the secretary or clerk of a municipality in a
 2-7     matter pertaining to the official business of the municipality; or
 2-8                 (14) [(13)]  a peace officer described by Article 2.12,
 2-9     Code of Criminal Procedure, if:
2-10                       (A)  the oath is administered when the officer is
2-11     engaged in the performance of the officer's duties; and
2-12                       (B)  the administration of the oath relates to
2-13     the officer's duties.
2-14           SECTION 2.  SEVERABILITY.  If any provision of this Act or
2-15     its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
2-16     invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this
2-17     Act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or
2-18     application, and to this end the provisions of this Act are
2-19     declared to be severable.
2-20           SECTION 3.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act takes effect on August
2-21     27, 2001.