TITLE: Relating to the prosecution of the criminal offense of obstructing a street, railroad crossing, or public highway.

SUMMARY: Relating to the prosecution of the criminal offense of obstructing a street, railroad crossing, or public highway.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to the prosecution of the criminal offense of obstructing a street, railroad crossing, or public highway. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 471.007(a), Transportation Code, is amended to read as follows: (a) A railway company commits an offense if:(1) a train of the railway company obstructs for more than 10 minutes a street, railroad crossing, or public highway;and (2) as a result, an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined by Section 541.201, is prevented from taking the most direct route to an emergency.SECTION 2. (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 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 covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.