By: Bonnen, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Hegar) H.B. No. 1840

(In the Senate - Received from the House April 16, 2007; April 17, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security; April 24, 2007, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; April 24, 2007, sent to printer.)

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the punishment for failing to stop following a motor vehicle accident.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the Sarah Kathryn Thompson Act.

SECTION 2. Section 550.021(c), Transportation Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c) A person commits an offense if the person does not stop or does not comply with the requirements of this section. An offense under this section:

(1) involving an accident resulting in death of or serious bodily injury, as defined by Section 1.07, Penal Code, to a person is a felony of the third degree; and

(2) involving an accident resulting in injury to which Subdivision (1) does not apply is punishable by:

(A) [(1)] imprisonment in the [institutional division of the] Texas Department of Criminal Justice for not more than five years or confinement in the county jail for not more than one year;

(B) [(2)] a fine not to exceed $5,000; or

(C) [(3)] both the fine and the imprisonment or confinement.

SECTION 3. (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 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.

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