By De La Garza H.B. No. 528 74R677 CAG-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the advertisement of special competence or legal 1-3 specialization by certain attorneys. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 81, Government Code, is 1-6 amended by adding Section 81.115 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 81.115. ADVERTISEMENT OF SPECIAL COMPETENCE OR LEGAL 1-8 SPECIALIZATION. (a) An attorney who has not been awarded a 1-9 certificate of special competence by the Texas Board of Legal 1-10 Specialization is not required to state in an advertisement that 1-11 the attorney is not certified by the Texas Board of Legal 1-12 Specialization. 1-13 (b) An attorney who advertises the attorney's practice in an 1-14 area of law that has not been designated as an area in which an 1-15 attorney may be awarded a certificate of special competence by the 1-16 Texas Board of Legal Specialization is not required to state in an 1-17 advertisement that a designation has not been made by the Texas 1-18 Board of Legal Specialization in that area. 1-19 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995, and 1-20 applies to an advertisement published or broadcast on or after the 1-21 effective date of this Act. An advertisement published or 1-22 broadcast before the effective date of this Act is governed by the 1-23 law in effect at the time the advertisement was published or 1-24 broadcast, and the former law is continued in effect for that 2-1 purpose. 2-2 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-3 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-4 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-5 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-6 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.