1-1  By:  Dutton (Senate Sponsor - Henderson)               H.B. No. 637
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House March 15, 1995;
    1-3  March 16, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on
    1-4  Jurisprudence; April 26, 1995, reported favorably by the following
    1-5  vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; April 26, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to certification of court reporters.
    1-9        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-10        SECTION 1.  Section 52.029, Government Code, is amended by
   1-11  adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
   1-12        (e)  The supreme court may authorize and the board may adopt
   1-13  rules relating to the nonrenewal of the certification of a court
   1-14  reporter who is in default on a loan guaranteed under Chapter 57,
   1-15  Education Code, by the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation.
   1-16        SECTION 2.  Section 52.013(b), Government Code, is amended to
   1-17  read as follows:
   1-18        (b)  The board may:
   1-19              (1)  appoint any necessary or proper subcommittee;
   1-20              (2)  hire necessary employees;
   1-21              (3)  pay all reasonable expenses from available funds;
   1-22              (4)  approve curriculum for court reporter proprietary
   1-23  schools as provided by Section 32.33, Education Code; <and>
   1-24              (5)  approve court reporter programs in technical
   1-25  institutes and public community colleges for purposes of
   1-26  certification under Section 61.051, Education Code; and
   1-27              (6)  approve continuing professional education courses
   1-28  for persons certified as court reporters.
   1-29        SECTION 3.  Subchapter B, Chapter 52, Government Code, is
   1-30  amended by adding Section 52.015 to read as follows:
   1-31        Sec. 52.015.  CONTINUING EDUCATION.  (a)  The supreme court
   1-32  may authorize and the board by rule may require continuing
   1-33  professional education for persons certified as court reporters.
   1-34        (b)  The rules for continuing professional education adopted
   1-35  by the board may include standards relating to:
   1-36              (1)  annual reporting by court reporters or by
   1-37  providers of continuing professional education;
   1-38              (2)  continuing professional education course content;
   1-39  and
   1-40              (3)  minimum number of hours of continuing professional
   1-41  education required annually.
   1-42        (c)  The board by rule may exempt certain persons, including
   1-43  disabled and retired persons, from all or a portion of the
   1-44  continuing education requirements.
   1-45        SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-46        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-47  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-48  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-49  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-50  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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