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	Amend Amendment No. 17 by Gattis to CSSB 909 by adding the 
following appropriately numbered item to the amendment and 
renumbering subsequent items of the amendment accordingly:
	(  ) Add the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to the 
bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:
	SECTION ____. Article 42.14, Code of Criminal Procedure, is 
amended to read as follows:
	Art. 42.14. IN ABSENCE OF DEFENDANT. (a) In a misdemeanor 
case, the [The] judgement and sentence [in a misdemeanor case] may 
be rendered in the absence of the defendant.
	(b) In a felony case, the judgement and sentence may be 
rendered in the absence of the defendant only if:
		(1) the defendant is imprisoned in a penal institution;                
		(2) the defendant in writing before a district court 
having jurisdiction in the county where the defendant is 
imprisoned:
			(A) waives the right to be present at the 
rendering of the judgement and sentence or to have counsel present;
			(B) affirms that the defendant does not have 
anything to say as to why the sentence should not be pronounced and 
that there is no reason to prevent sentence under Article 42.07;
			(C) states that the defendant has entered into a 
written plea agreement with the attorney representing the state in 
the prosecution of the case; and
			(D) requests the judge to pronounce sentence in 
the case in accordance with the plea agreement;
		(3) the defendant and the attorney representing the 
state in the prosecution of the case have entered into a written 
plea agreement that is made a part of the record in the case; and
		(4) sentence is pronounced in accordance with the plea 
agreement.    
	(c) In this article, "penal institution" has the meaning 
assigned by Section 1.07, Penal Code.
	SECTION ____. Article 42.14, Code of Criminal Procedure, as 
amended by this Act, applies only to an offense committed on or 
after the effective date of this Act. An offense committed before 
the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect at 
the time the offense was committed, and the former law is continued 
in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this section, an offense 
was committed before the effective date of this Act if any element 
of the offense was committed before that date.