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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the authority of the Department of Public Safety of the |
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State of Texas and certain local law enforcement agencies to |
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establish a checkpoint on a highway or street to determine whether |
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persons are driving while intoxicated. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Title 1, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended |
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by adding Chapter 65 to read as follows: |
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CHAPTER 65. SOBRIETY CHECKPOINTS |
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Art. 65.01. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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(1) "Department" means the Department of Public |
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Safety. |
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(2) "Highway or street" and "limited-access or |
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controlled-access highway" have the meanings assigned by Section |
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541.302, Transportation Code. |
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(3) "Law enforcement agency" means: |
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(A) the department; |
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(B) the sheriff's department of a county with a |
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population of 250,000 or more; or |
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(C) the police department of a municipality with |
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a population of 500,000 or more. |
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(4) "Sobriety checkpoint" means a checkpoint |
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authorized under Article 65.02. |
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Art. 65.02. AUTHORIZATION FOR SOBRIETY CHECKPOINTS. |
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(a) Except as provided by Subsections (b) and (c), a law |
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enforcement agency may operate on a highway or street a temporary |
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sobriety checkpoint as provided by this chapter to determine |
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whether persons operating motor vehicles on the highway or street |
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are intoxicated and in violation of Section 49.04 or 49.045, Penal |
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Code. |
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(b) A sobriety checkpoint may not be operated on: |
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(1) a limited-access or controlled-access highway; |
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(2) an overpass; |
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(3) a bridge or causeway; or |
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(4) the single ingress to or egress from a designated |
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area. |
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(c) The department may not operate a sobriety checkpoint in |
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a county with a population of less than 250,000. |
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Art. 65.03. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY COORDINATION. Each law |
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enforcement agency shall coordinate efforts with other law |
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enforcement agencies as appropriate to implement this chapter. |
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Art. 65.04. APPROVAL OF AND PROCEDURES FOR SOBRIETY |
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CHECKPOINTS. (a) Before a law enforcement agency begins the |
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operation of a sobriety checkpoint, the procedures to be used in the |
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operation of the checkpoint must be approved by: |
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(1) a captain for the Texas Highway Patrol, in the case |
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of a checkpoint operated by the department; |
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(2) the elected sheriff of a county, in the case of a |
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checkpoint operated by the sheriff's department of the county; or |
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(3) the mayor of a municipality, in the case of a |
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checkpoint operated by the police department of the municipality. |
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(b) The law enforcement agency must record in writing and |
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publish on an appropriate publicly accessible Internet website the |
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procedures: |
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(1) used in selecting each site for a sobriety |
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checkpoint; and |
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(2) to be used in the operation of each sobriety |
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checkpoint, including procedures regarding the selection of motor |
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vehicles to be stopped. |
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(c) The procedures for the operation of a sobriety |
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checkpoint must ensure that the selection of motor vehicles to be |
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stopped is reasonably predictable and nonarbitrary. |
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(d) The criteria for selecting the location for a sobriety |
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checkpoint must include the number of traffic accidents in the |
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vicinity of the location in which the use of alcohol was a factor |
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and that occurred in the preceding 12 months and the number of |
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arrests for intoxication-related offenses in that vicinity in the |
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preceding 12 months. The selection of the location of a sobriety |
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checkpoint must be made without regard to the ethnic or |
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socioeconomic characteristics of the area in which the checkpoint |
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is located. |
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(e) The law enforcement agency, in establishing the |
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location, time, and design of a sobriety checkpoint, shall consider |
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the safety of the public entering the checkpoint and the peace |
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officers operating the checkpoint. The law enforcement agency |
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shall make reasonable efforts to place signs or other devices to |
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advise operators of oncoming motor vehicles of the sobriety |
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checkpoint and the purpose of the checkpoint, to demarcate the |
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checkpoint with flares, flags, or traffic cones, and to otherwise |
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illuminate the checkpoint as necessary. |
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(f) The peace officer who makes the initial traffic |
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directive or other communication with the operator of a motor |
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vehicle at the sobriety checkpoint must be wearing a uniform of the |
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law enforcement agency that is distinguishable from civilian dress. |
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(g) The law enforcement agency shall establish procedures |
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governing the encounters between motor vehicle operators and the |
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peace officers to ensure that: |
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(1) a video and audio recording is made of each |
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encounter; |
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(2) intrusion on the operator is minimized; and |
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(3) an inquiry is reasonably related to determining |
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whether the operator is intoxicated and in violation of Section |
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49.04 or 49.045, Penal Code. |
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(h) Notwithstanding Section 521.025 or 601.053, |
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Transportation Code, or Section 411.205, Government Code, a peace |
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officer may not request a person operating a motor vehicle at the |
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sobriety checkpoint to display the person's driver's license or |
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concealed handgun license or to furnish evidence of financial |
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responsibility unless the officer has reasonable suspicion or |
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probable cause to believe that the person has committed or is |
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committing an offense. A peace officer may not direct the operator |
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of a motor vehicle to leave the vehicle or move the vehicle off the |
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highway or street or routine sobriety checkpoint diversion route |
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unless the officer has reasonable suspicion or probable cause to |
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believe that the person has committed or is committing an offense. |
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The design of a sobriety checkpoint may require that each motor |
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vehicle passing through the checkpoint be diverted to a location |
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adjacent to the highway or street to ensure safety. |
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(i) A peace officer at the sobriety checkpoint may not |
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require a motor vehicle operator to perform a sobriety test unless |
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the officer has reasonable suspicion or probable cause to believe |
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that the operator is in violation of Section 49.04 or 49.045, Penal |
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Code. A peace officer who requires or requests an operator to |
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provide a specimen of breath, blood, or urine must comply with |
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Chapter 724, Transportation Code. |
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(j) Unless a peace officer has reasonable suspicion or |
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probable cause to detain a motor vehicle operator for a criminal |
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offense, the time during which an officer makes an inquiry of an |
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operator should not exceed three minutes, and the total time during |
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which the operator must wait to pass through the checkpoint should |
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not exceed 10 minutes. The law enforcement agency shall make |
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reasonable efforts to reduce these periods to not more than one and |
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five minutes, respectively. |
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(k) Before beginning the operation of a sobriety |
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checkpoint, the law enforcement agency shall publicize through the |
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use of the media the date and time for the operation of the |
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checkpoint but is not required to disclose the location of the |
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checkpoint. |
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(l) A law enforcement agency may not operate a sobriety |
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checkpoint at one location for more than four hours and may not |
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operate a checkpoint at the same location more than once in a |
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12-month period. For the purposes of this subsection, sobriety |
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checkpoints located within one mile of each other are considered to |
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be at the same location. |
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(m) A law enforcement agency shall maintain until at least |
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the fifth anniversary of the date on which the agency concludes the |
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operation of a sobriety checkpoint a record of the operation of the |
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checkpoint that contains: |
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(1) the date, time, location, and duration of the |
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checkpoint; |
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(2) the procedures used in selecting the site for the |
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checkpoint; |
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(3) the number and characteristics of motor vehicles |
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stopped at the checkpoint; |
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(4) the number and nature of arrests made and |
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citations issued at the checkpoint; and |
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(5) the identities of the peace officers operating the |
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checkpoint. |
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(n) A law enforcement agency shall maintain until at least |
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the second anniversary of the date on which the agency concludes the |
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operation of a sobriety checkpoint any video or audio recording |
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made under Subsection (g)(1) of an encounter between a motor |
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vehicle operator and a peace officer at the checkpoint. |
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Art. 65.05. REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF CHECKPOINTS. |
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(a) Not later than January 15 of each calendar year, each law |
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enforcement agency that operated a sobriety checkpoint during the |
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preceding calendar year shall report the operation of the |
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checkpoint to the traffic safety section of the traffic operations |
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division of the Texas Department of Transportation. |
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(b) The traffic operations division is entitled to inspect |
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any information in the possession of the law enforcement agency |
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that relates to the operation of a sobriety checkpoint by the |
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agency. |
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(c) Not later than February 1, 2017, the traffic operations |
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division shall submit a report on the effectiveness of sobriety |
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checkpoints operated under this chapter to the governor, the |
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lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of |
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representatives. |
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Art. 65.06. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires August 31, |
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2017. |
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SECTION 2. A law enforcement agency authorized to operate a |
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sobriety checkpoint under Chapter 65, Code of Criminal Procedure, |
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as added by this Act, shall submit the first report required by |
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Article 65.05 of that chapter not later than January 15, 2012. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |