78R6871 DWS-D

By:  Casteel                                                      H.B. No. 1520


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to allowing a train to stand on a street, railroad crossing, or highway. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Sections 471.007(a) and (d), Transportation Code, are amended to read as follows: (a) A railway company commits an offense if a train of the railway company is allowed to stand [obstructs] for more than 10 minutes on a street, railroad crossing, or public highway. (d) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the train is allowed to stand on [obstructs] the street, railroad crossing, or public highway because of an act of God or breakdown of the train. SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. For the purposes of this section, an offense is committed before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs before that date. (b) An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.