| 1 | 1 | | 84R2901 JXC-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Farias H.B. No. 471 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to safety equipment requirements for certain cyclists; |
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| 8 | 8 | | changing the elements of an offense. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 551.104(b), Transportation Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (b) A person may not operate a bicycle at nighttime unless |
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| 13 | 13 | | the person or bicycle is equipped with: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) a lamp [on the front of the bicycle] that emits a |
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| 15 | 15 | | flashing or steady white light visible from a distance of at least |
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| 16 | 16 | | 500 feet in front of the bicycle; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) [on the rear of the bicycle: |
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| 18 | 18 | | [(A) a red reflector that is: |
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| 19 | 19 | | [(i) of a type approved by the department; |
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| 20 | 20 | | and |
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| 21 | 21 | | [(ii) visible when directly in front of |
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| 22 | 22 | | lawful upper beams of motor vehicle headlamps from all distances |
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| 23 | 23 | | from 50 to 300 feet to the rear of the bicycle; or |
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| 24 | 24 | | [(B)] a lamp that emits a flashing or steady red |
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| 25 | 25 | | light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the rear of the |
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| 26 | 26 | | bicycle. |
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| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 28 | 28 | | to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 29 | 29 | | An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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| 30 | 30 | | governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
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| 31 | 31 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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| 32 | 32 | | purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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| 33 | 33 | | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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| 34 | 34 | | before that date. |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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