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.