By Gallego H.B. No. 2325 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to continuing legal education, technical assistance and 1-3 other support programs for prosecuting attorneys and their 1-4 personnel and for criminal defense attorneys who regularly 1-5 represent indigent defendants. 1-6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-7 SECTION 1. Section 56.001(a), Government Code, is amended to 1-8 read as follows: 1-9 (a) The judicial and court personnel training fund is 1-10 created in the state treasury and shall be administered by the 1-11 supreme court and the court of criminal appeals. 1-12 SECTION 2. Section 56.001(i), Government Code, is amended to 1-13 read as follows: 1-14 (i) On requisition of the supreme court or the court of 1-15 criminal appeals, the comptroller shall draw a warrant on the fund 1-16 for the amount specified in the requisition for a use authorized in 1-17 Section 56.003. A warrant may not exceed the amount appropriated 1-18 for any one fiscal year. At the end of each state fiscal year, any 1-19 unexpended balance in the fund in excess of $500,000 shall be 1-20 transferred to the general revenue fund. 1-21 SECTION 3. Section 56.003(a), Government Code, is amended to 1-22 read as follows: 1-23 (a) The supreme court or the court of criminal appeals may 2-1 not use more than three percent of the money appropriated in any 2-2 one fiscal year to hire staff and provide for the proper 2-3 administration of this chapter. 2-4 SECTION 4. Section 56.003, Government Code, is amended by 2-5 adding subsection (f) to read as follows: 2-6 (f) The court of criminal appeals shall grant legal funds to 2-7 statewide professional associations of prosecuting attorneys and of 2-8 criminal defense attorneys who regularly represent indigent 2-9 defendants in criminal matters, whose purposes include providing 2-10 continuing legal education, technical assistance and other support 2-11 programs. 2-12 SECTION 5. Section 56.004, Government Code, is amended to 2-13 read as follows: 2-14 (a) The legislature shall appropriate funds from the 2-15 judicial and court personnel training fund to the supreme court to 2-16 provide for the continuing legal education of judges and court 2-17 personnel in this state. 2-18 (b) The legislature shall appropriate funds from the 2-19 judicial and court personnel training fund to the court of criminal 2-20 appeals to provide for continuing legal education, technical 2-21 assistance and other support programs for prosecuting attorneys and 2-22 their personnel and for criminal defense attorneys who regularly 2-23 represent indigent defendants in criminal matters. 2-24 SECTION 6. Section 56.005, Government Code, is amended by 2-25 adding new subsections (f) and (g) to read as follows: 3-1 (f) An entity receiving a grant of funds from the court of 3-2 criminal appeals under this chapter for continuing legal education, 3-3 technical assistance and other support programs for prosecuting 3-4 attorneys and their personnel shall designate a committee to 3-5 recommend educational requirements and course content, technical 3-6 assistance programs and support services and standards for the 3-7 purposes of the grant awarded. 3-8 (g) An entity receiving a grant of funds from the court of 3-9 criminal appeals under this chapter for continuing legal education, 3-10 technical assistance and other support programs for criminal 3-11 defense attorneys who regularly represent indigent defendants shall 3-12 designate a committee to recommend educational requirements and 3-13 course content, technical assistance programs and support services, 3-14 and standards for the purposes of the grant awarded. 3-15 SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993. 3-16 SECTION 8. The importance of this legislation and the 3-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.