78R11989 EMT-F

By:  Van de Putte                                                 S.B. No. 6  



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to extending the time to claim a lottery prize for certain 
military personnel.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 466.408, Government Code, is amended by 
amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (e)-(h) to read as 
follows:
	(d)  Except as provided by Subsection (e), a [A] ticket 
holder forfeits any claim or entitlement to a prize after the 
expiration of the 180th day after the date on which the prizewinner 
was selected.
	(e)  An eligible person serving on active military duty in 
any branch of the United States armed forces during a war or 
national emergency declared in accordance with federal law may 
claim a lottery prize not later than the 90th day after the date on 
which the earliest of the following occurs:
		(1)  the person is discharged from active military 
duty;             
		(2)  the person returns to this state for more than 10 
consecutive days;
		(3)  the person returns to nonactive military duty 
status in the reserve or national guard; or
		(4)  the war or national emergency ends.                               
	(f)  The commission may deduct money paid to an eligible 
person under Subsection (e) from prize money that would otherwise 
be deposited under Subsection (b).
	(g)  For purposes of this section, a person is considered to 
be on active military duty if the person is covered by the Soldiers' 
and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 (50 App. U.S.C. Sections 
501-594) or the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment 
Rights Act of 1994 (38 U.S.C. Sections 4301-4333), as amended.
	(h)  In this section, "eligible person" means a person 
entitled to a lottery prize who:
		(1)  while on active military duty in this state was 
transferred out of the state:
			(A)  as a result of a war or national emergency 
declared in accordance with federal law; and
			(B)  before the 180th day after the date on which 
the winner of the lottery prize was selected; or
		(2)  while serving in the reserve forces in this state 
was placed on active military duty and transferred out of the state:
			(A)  as a result of a war or national emergency 
declared in accordance with federal law; and
			(B)  before the 180th day after the date on which 
the winner of the lottery prize was selected.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this 
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 
Act takes effect September 1, 2003.