| 1 | 1 | | By: Burton S.B. No. 1530 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (Springer) |
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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 the offense of leaving a motor vehicle unattended. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 545.404, Transportation Code, is amended |
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| 10 | 10 | | to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 545.404. UNATTENDED MOTOR VEHICLE. (a) Except as |
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| 12 | 12 | | provided by Subsection (b), an [An] operator may not leave a [the] |
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| 13 | 13 | | vehicle unattended on a public highway or street without: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) stopping the engine; |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) locking the ignition; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (3) removing the key from the ignition; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (4) setting the parking brake effectively; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | (5) if standing on a grade, turning the front wheels to |
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| 19 | 19 | | the curb or side of the highway. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) The requirements of Subsections (a)(1), (2), and (3) do |
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| 21 | 21 | | not apply to an operator who starts the engine of a vehicle by using |
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| 22 | 22 | | a remote starter or other similar device that: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) remotely starts the vehicle's engine without |
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| 24 | 24 | | placing the key in the ignition; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) requires the key to be placed in the ignition or |
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| 26 | 26 | | physically present in the vehicle before the vehicle can be |
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| 27 | 27 | | operated. |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 29 | 29 | | to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 30 | 30 | | An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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| 31 | 31 | | governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
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| 32 | 32 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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| 33 | 33 | | purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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| 34 | 34 | | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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| 35 | 35 | | before that date. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 37 | 37 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 38 | 38 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 39 | 39 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 40 | 40 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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