By Place                                              H.B. No. 1203
       74R904 DAK-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to directing the supreme court to adopt certain rules of
    1-3  civil procedure.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 22, Government Code, is
    1-6  amended by adding Section 22.0045 to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 22.0045.  RULES TO EXPEDITE LITIGATION.  (a)  The
    1-8  supreme court is directed to draft rules to streamline and expedite
    1-9  civil litigation in this state, including rules that:
   1-10              (1)  encourage alternative dispute resolution
   1-11  procedures; and
   1-12              (2)  require judicial sanctions against frivolous
   1-13  lawsuits, frivolous defenses, and abuses of the discovery process.
   1-14        (b)  The supreme court shall adopt rules under this section
   1-15  on or before December 31, 1996.
   1-16        (c)  This section expires January 1, 1997.
   1-17        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-18  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-19  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-20  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-21  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   1-22  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   1-23  passage, and it is so enacted.