By: Montford S.B. No. 947 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to continuing legal education, technical assistance and 1-2 other support programs for prosecuting attorneys and their 1-3 personnel and for criminal defense attorneys who regularly 1-4 represent indigent defendants. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Section 56.001(a), Government Code, is amended to 1-7 read as follows: 1-8 (a) The judicial and court personnel training fund is 1-9 created in the state treasury and shall be administered by the 1-10 supreme court and the court of criminal appeals. 1-11 SECTION 2. Section 56.001(i), Government Code, is amended to 1-12 read as follows: 1-13 (i) On requisition of the supreme court or the court of 1-14 criminal appeals, the comptroller shall draw a warrant on the fund 1-15 for the amount specified in the requisition for a use authorized in 1-16 Section 56.003. A warrant may not exceed the amount appropriated 1-17 for any one fiscal year. At the end of each state fiscal year, any 1-18 unexpended balance in the fund in excess of $500,000 shall be 1-19 transferred to the general revenue fund. 1-20 SECTION 3. Section 56.003(a), Government Code, is amended to 1-21 read as follows: 1-22 (a) The supreme court or the court of criminal appeals may 1-23 not use more than three percent of the money appropriated in any 2-1 one fiscal year to hire staff and provide for the proper 2-2 administration of this chapter. 2-3 SECTION 4. Section 56.003, Government Code, is amended by 2-4 adding subsection (f) to read as follows: 2-5 (f) The court of criminal appeals shall grant legal funds to 2-6 statewide professional associations of prosecuting attorneys and of 2-7 criminal defense attorneys who regularly represent indigent 2-8 defendants in criminal matters, whose purposes include providing 2-9 continuing legal education, technical assistance and other support 2-10 programs. 2-11 SECTION 5. Section 56.004, Government Code, is amended to 2-12 read as follows: 2-13 (a) The legislature shall appropriate funds from the 2-14 judicial and court personnel training fund to the supreme court to 2-15 provide for the continuing legal education of judges and court 2-16 personnel in this state. 2-17 (b) The legislature shall appropriate funds from the 2-18 judicial and court personnel training fund to the court of criminal 2-19 appeals to provide for continuing legal education, technical 2-20 assistance and other support programs for prosecuting attorneys and 2-21 their personnel and for criminal defense attorneys who regularly 2-22 represent indigent defendants in criminal matters. 2-23 SECTION 6. Section 56.005, Government Code, is amended by 2-24 adding new subsections (f) and (g) to read as follows: 2-25 (f) An entity receiving a grant of funds from the court of 3-1 criminal appeals under this chapter for continuing legal education, 3-2 technical assistance and other support programs for prosecuting 3-3 attorneys and their personnel shall designate a committee to 3-4 recommend educational requirements and course content, technical 3-5 assistance programs and support services and standards for the 3-6 purposes of the grant awarded. 3-7 (g) An entity receiving a grant of funds from the court of 3-8 criminal appeals under this chapter for continuing legal education, 3-9 technical assistance and other support programs for criminal 3-10 defense attorneys who regularly represent indigent defendants shall 3-11 designate a committee to recommend educational requirements and 3-12 course content, technical assistance programs and support services, 3-13 and standards for the purposes of the grant awarded. 3-14 SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993. 3-15 SECTION 8. The importance of this legislation and the 3-16 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-17 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-18 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-19 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.