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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the obstruction of emergency vehicles at railroad |
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crossings. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 471.007(a) and (c), Transportation |
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Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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(a) A railway company commits an offense if: |
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(1) a train of the railway company obstructs for more |
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than 10 minutes a street, railroad crossing, or public highway; and |
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(2) as a result, an authorized emergency vehicle, as |
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defined by Section 541.201, is prevented from taking the most |
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direct route to an emergency. |
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(c) An officer charging a railway company for an offense |
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under this section shall prepare in duplicate a citation to appear |
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in court and deliver [attach] one copy of the citation to [the train
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or deliver the copy to] an employee or other agent of the railway |
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company. The citation must show: |
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(1) the name of the railway company; |
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(2) the offense charged; and |
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(3) the time and place that a representative of the |
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railway company is to appear in court. |
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SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies |
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only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this |
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Act. For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before |
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the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs |
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before that date. |
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(b) An offense committed before the effective date of this |
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Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, |
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and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |