By Naishtat H.B. No. 1498 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the participation in pro bono legal services to 1-3 low-income Texans by prosecutors. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 41 of the Texas Government Code is 1-6 amended by adding Section 41.014 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 41.014 Pro bono legal services to low-income Texans. 1-8 (a) Prosecuting attorneys and assistant prosecuting 1-9 attorneys subject to the provisions of this chapter and chapter 46 1-10 shall not be prohibited from providing pro bono legal services to 1-11 the poor without compensation. 1-12 (b) In this section, pro bono legal services to the poor 1-13 includes: 1-14 (1) the direct provision of legal services to the 1-15 poor, without an expectation of compensation, whether civil or 1-16 criminal; 1-17 (2) uncompensated legal services rendered to 1-18 charitable, public interest organizations with respect to matters 1-19 or projects designed predominantly to address the needs of poor 1-20 persons; 1-21 (c) Pro bono legal services to the poor provided by a 1-22 prosecuting attorney or assistant prosecuting attorney shall not 1-23 interfere with the official duties of the attorney and shall not be 2-1 deemed within the scope of employment of the attorney. 2-2 (d) The State of Texas and its subdivisions assume no 2-3 liability for the pro bono activities performed under this section. 2-4 (e) The provision of pro bono legal services to the poor as 2-5 authorized by this section shall not constitute the private 2-6 practice of law. 2-7 SECTION 2. Effective Date. This Act takes effect September 2-8 1, 1993. 2-9 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-10 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-11 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-12 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-13 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.