By: Carriker S.B. No. 945
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the allocation of the judicial and court personnel
1-2 training fund.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 56.003, Government Code, is amended to
1-5 read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 56.003. USE OF FUNDS. (a) The supreme court may not
1-7 use more than three percent of the money appropriated in any one
1-8 fiscal year to hire staff and provide for the proper administration
1-9 of this chapter.
1-10 (b) No more than one-third nor less than one-fourth of the
1-11 funds appropriated for any fiscal year shall be used for the
1-12 continuing legal education of judges of appellate courts, district
1-13 courts, county courts at law, and county courts performing judicial
1-14 functions as required by the supreme court under Section 74.025 and
1-15 of their court personnel.
1-16 (c) No more than one-third nor less than one-fourth of the
1-17 funds appropriated for any fiscal year shall be used for the
1-18 continuing legal education of judges of justice courts as required
1-19 by the supreme court under Section 74.025 and of their court
1-20 personnel.
1-21 (d) No more than one-third nor less than one-fourth of the
1-22 funds appropriated for any fiscal year shall be used for the
1-23 continuing legal education of judges of municipal courts as
2-1 required by the supreme court under Section 74.025 and of their
2-2 court personnel.
2-3 (e) The supreme court shall grant legal funds to statewide
2-4 professional associations of judges <and other entities> whose
2-5 purposes include providing continuing legal education courses,
2-6 programs, and projects for judges and court personnel. The
2-7 grantees of those funds must ensure that sufficient funds are
2-8 available for each judge to meet the minimum educational
2-9 requirements set by the supreme court under Section 74.025 before
2-10 any funds are awarded to a judge for education that exceeds those
2-11 requirements. The grantees receiving funds under this section may
2-12 contract with statewide professional associations of court clerks
2-13 to provide continuing education for court clerks.
2-14 (f) In this section, "statewide professional association of
2-15 judges" means an organization of which at least 60 percent of the
2-16 members are judges.
2-17 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect August 31, 1993, and
2-18 applies to all funds granted or distributed after that date.
2-19 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-20 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-21 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-22 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-23 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.