1-1     By:  Staples                                           S.B. No. 629
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 9, 2001; February 12, 2001,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;
 1-4     March 7, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 9,
 1-5     Nays 0; March 7, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to authorizing the attorney general to administer oaths.
 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-10           SECTION 1.  AMENDMENT.  Section 602.002, Government Code, as
1-11     amended by Chapters 325, 368, and 653, Acts of the 76th
1-12     Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, is amended to read as follows:
1-13           Sec. 602.002.  Oath Made in Texas.  An oath made in this
1-14     state may be administered and a certificate of the fact given by:
1-15                 (1)  a judge or a clerk of a municipal court, in a
1-16     matter pertaining to a duty of the court;
1-17                 (2)  a judge, clerk, or commissioner of a court of
1-18     record;
1-19                 (3)  a justice of the peace or a clerk of a justice
1-20     court;
1-21                 (4)  a notary public;
1-22                 (5)  a member of a board or commission created by a law
1-23     of this state, in a matter pertaining to a duty of the board or
1-24     commission;
1-25                 (6)  a person employed by the Texas Ethics Commission
1-26     who has a duty related to a report required by Title 15, Election
1-27     Code, in a matter pertaining to that duty;
1-28                 (7)  a county tax assessor-collector or an employee of
1-29     the county tax assessor-collector if the oath relates to a document
1-30     that is required or authorized to be filed in the office of the
1-31     county tax assessor-collector;
1-32                 (8)  the secretary of state;
1-33                 (9)  the lieutenant governor;
1-34                 (10)  the speaker of the house of representatives; [or]
1-35                 (11)  the governor;
1-36                 (12)  the attorney general;
1-37                 (13)  the secretary or clerk of a municipality in a
1-38     matter pertaining to the official business of the municipality; or
1-39                 (14) [(13)]  a peace officer described by Article 2.12,
1-40     Code of Criminal Procedure, if:
1-41                       (A)  the oath is administered when the officer is
1-42     engaged in the performance of the officer's duties; and
1-43                       (B)  the administration of the oath relates to
1-44     the officer's duties.
1-45           SECTION 2.  SEVERABILITY.  If any provision of this Act or
1-46     its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
1-47     invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this
1-48     Act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or
1-49     application, and to this end the provisions of this Act are
1-50     declared to be severable.
1-51           SECTION 3.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act takes effect on August
1-52     27, 2001.
1-53                                  * * * * *