By Davis, Thompson                                     H.B. No. 959
       74R2662 MLR-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to certain retired and former judges.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 74.0551(b), Government Code, is amended
    1-5  to read as follows:
    1-6        (b)  <A retired or former judge shall make an initial
    1-7  certification of willingness not to appear and plead not later than
    1-8  the 90th day after the date the person leaves active service.>  An
    1-9  initial certification of willingness not to appear and plead made
   1-10  before the judge leaves active service extends through December 31
   1-11  of the year following the year in which the judge leaves active
   1-12  service.  An initial certification made after the judge leaves
   1-13  active service extends through December 31 of the year following
   1-14  the year in which the certification is made.
   1-15        SECTION 2.  A retiree  under Subtitle F, Title 8, Government
   1-16  Code, who has 12 years or more of service as a judge of a county
   1-17  court and whose last date of service as a judge was on or before
   1-18  December 31, 1990, may elect, before January 1, 1996,  to be a
   1-19  judicial officer for purposes of Section 75.001, Government Code.
   1-20  A retiree under this section may be assigned under Chapter 74,
   1-21  Government Code, as if the retiree met the requirements of Section
   1-22  74.055, Government Code.
   1-23        SECTION 3.  The changes in Section 74.0551, Government Code,
   1-24  made by this Act relating to a retired or former judge's initial
    2-1  certification of willingness not to appear and serve as an attorney
    2-2  in court apply only to a judge who leaves active service on or
    2-3  after the effective date of this Act.  A judge who leaves active
    2-4  service before that date is governed by the law in effect when that
    2-5  judge left active service, and the prior law is continued in effect
    2-6  for that purpose.
    2-7        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-8  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-9  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-10  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-11  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-12  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-13  passage, and it is so enacted.