By Martin H.B. No. 2273
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to judicial and court personnel training.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subsection (i), Section 56.001, Government Code,
1-5 is amended to read as follows:
1-6 (i) On requisition of the supreme court, the comptroller
1-7 shall draw a warrant on the fund for the amount specified in the
1-8 requisition for a use authorized in Section 56.003. A warrant may
1-9 not exceed the amount appropriated for any one fiscal year. At the
1-10 end of each state fiscal year, any unexpended balance in the fund
1-11 in excess of $1,000,000 <$500,000> shall be transferred to the
1-12 general revenue fund.
1-13 SECTION 2. Section 56.005, Government Code, is amended to
1-14 read as follows:
1-15 Sec. 56.005. TEXAS JUDICIAL EDUCATION BOARD <COMMITTEES>.
1-16 (a) The supreme court shall appoint the Texas Judicial Education
1-17 Board <supreme court education committee> to recommend educational
1-18 requirements and course content, credit, and standards for judges
1-19 and court personnel <of appellate courts, district courts,
1-20 statutory county courts, and county courts performing judicial
1-21 functions>.
1-22 (b) The supreme court shall appoint as members of the board
1-23 (1) one justice of the supreme court, who shall chair
2-1 the board,
2-2 (2) one judge of the court of criminal appeals,
2-3 (3) one justice of a court of appeals,
2-4 (4) one district judge,
2-5 (5) one county-level judge,
2-6 (6) one justice of the peace,
2-7 (7) one municipal court judge,
2-8 (8) one district clerk,
2-9 (9) one county clerk,
2-10 (10) one person employed in a position serving a
2-11 justice of the peace or municipal court, provided that the
2-12 appointment pursuant to this subdivision shall alternate between a
2-13 justice of the peace court employee and a municipal court employee,
2-14 (11) two professional legal educators, and
2-15 (12) three public members who are not members of the
2-16 legal profession and who are not employed by any court and not the
2-17 spouse of a member of the legal profession nor of any person
2-18 employed by any court <at least two appellate judges, four district
2-19 court judges, two statutory county court judges, and one judge of a
2-20 county court performing judicial functions. The supreme court may
2-21 appoint not more than six additional members>.
2-22 (c) Each member serves for a term of six years <Members
2-23 serve at the will of the supreme court>. In making the initial
2-24 appointments to the board, the supreme court shall appoint five
2-25 members to an initial term of two years, five members to an initial
3-1 term of four years, and five members to an initial term of six
3-2 years. The supreme court shall fill any vacancy on the board with
3-3 a person from the same class of membership and for the remainder of
3-4 the unexpired term held by the vacating member. If a board member
3-5 ceases to be eligible to be a member of the particular class of
3-6 membership from which appointed, a vacancy exists in that position.
3-7 <(b) An entity receiving a grant of funds from the supreme
3-8 court for the education of justices of the peace and their court
3-9 personnel shall designate a committee to recommend educational
3-10 requirements and course content, credit, and standards for the
3-11 purposes of the grant awarded.>
3-12 <(c) An entity receiving a grant of funds from the supreme
3-13 court under this chapter for the education of municipal court
3-14 judges and their personnel shall designate a committee to recommend
3-15 educational requirements and course content, credit, and standards
3-16 for the purposes of the grant awarded.>
3-17 (d) The Texas Judicial Education Board <supreme court
3-18 education committee and any committee established as provided by
3-19 Subsection (b) or (c)> shall <meet at least twice a year to>:
3-20 (1) make recommendations to the supreme court on the
3-21 operations of the judicial education programs, including the
3-22 minimum educational requirements for judges and court personnel;
3-23 (2) review and approve <recommend> course content,
3-24 credit and standards for initial and continuing mandatory judicial
3-25 education for judges and court personnel; <and>
4-1 <(2)> (3) submit an annual report to the supreme court
4-2 on the operations of the judicial education programs, including the
4-3 approved courses, credits, and standards for the judges and court
4-4 personnel, and any proposed action on judges and court personnel
4-5 who have failed to comply with the mandatory professional education
4-6 requirements;
4-7 (4) make recommendations to the supreme court and take
4-8 other actions <action> necessary to carry out the purposes of this
4-9 chapter; and
4-10 (5) perform such other duties as assigned by the
4-11 supreme court.
4-12 <(e) The supreme court education committee and any committee
4-13 established as provided by Subsection (b) or (c) shall:>
4-14 <(1) recommend to the supreme court the minimum
4-15 educational requirements for judges and court personnel; and>
4-16 <(2) issue an annual report to the supreme court that
4-17 lists the courses, credits, and standards for the judges and court
4-18 personnel.>
4-19 SECTION 3. Sections 56.002 and 56.003, Government Code, are
4-20 repealed.
4-21 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
4-22 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
4-23 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-24 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-25 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-1 days in each house be suspended, and that this Act take effect and
5-2 be in force from and after its passage, and it is so enacted.