By:  Rosson                                           S.B. No. 1001
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  Relating to the powers and authority of the State Office of
    1-2  Administrative Hearings.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 2, Article 6252-13f, Vernon's Texas Civil
    1-5  Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
    1-6            STATE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS; CHIEF
    1-7                       ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE
    1-8        SEC. 2.  (a)  The State Office of Administrative Hearings is
    1-9  a state agency under the direction of a chief administrative law
   1-10  judge appointed by the governor for a two-year term.  To be
   1-11  eligible for appointment as chief administrative law judge, a
   1-12  person must be licensed to practice law in this state, must be
   1-13  board-certified in administrative law, and must have at least five
   1-14  years' experience in conducting administrative hearings under the
   1-15  Administrative Procedure and Texas Register Act (Article 6252-13a,
   1-16  Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes).
   1-17        (b)  The office shall conduct all administrative hearings in
   1-18  contested cases under the Administrative Procedure and Texas
   1-19  Register Act (Article 6252-13a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)
   1-20  (-<that are before an agency that does not employ a person whose
   1-21  only duty is to preside as a hearings officer over matters related
   1-22  to contested cases before the agency>.
   1-23        (c)  Hearings shall be conducted at a site to be designated
    2-1  by the Office.
    2-2        (d)  The State Office of Administrative Hearings may
    2-3  promulgate procedural rules to govern hearings conducted by the
    2-4  Office.
    2-5        (e)  The State Office of Administrative Hearings may conduct
    2-6  non-APTRA hearings at the request of other agencies.
    2-7        (f)  The State Office of Administrative Hearings may provide
    2-8  non-binding alternative means to resolve disputes that are before
    2-9  it for administrative adjudication.
   2-10        (g)  The State Office of Administrative Hearings may contract
   2-11  to provide other agencies training relating to the conduct of
   2-12  administrative hearings.
   2-13        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
   2-14        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-15  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-16  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-17  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-18  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.