By Naishtat                                           H.B. No. 1499
                                 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 some attorney employees of the State of Texas.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Article 6252-9b is amended by adding Sec. 16 to
    1-6  read as follows:
    1-7        (a)  Attorneys who are state employees as defined under
    1-8  Sec. 2 (7)(A) and (C) of this Act may provide pro bono legal
    1-9  services to poor clients without compensation.  Such services may
   1-10  not conflict with the attorney employee's official duties or the
   1-11  interests of the State.
   1-12        (b)  Each agency or legislative office head may adopt
   1-13  guidelines concerning the participation of attorney employees in
   1-14  pro bono legal services to the poor.
   1-15        (c)  Attorney employees providing pro bono legal services to
   1-16  the poor shall not represent to any client or any other person that
   1-17  they are acting on behalf of the State of Texas or any subdivision
   1-18  thereof.
   1-19        (d)  The State of Texas and its subdivisions assume no
   1-20  liability for the pro bono activities performed by attorney
   1-21  employees.
   1-22        SECTION 2.  Effective Date.  This Act takes effect September
   1-23  1, 1993.
    2-1        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-2  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-3  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-4  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-5  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.