1-1  By:  Zbranek (Senate Sponsor - Galloway)              H.B. No. 3197
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 1995;
    1-3  May 11, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
    1-4  Justice; May 22, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:
    1-5  Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 22, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to recording of proceedings in a county court at law in
    1-9  Liberty County.
   1-10        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-11        SECTION 1.  Section 25.1482, Government Code, is amended by
   1-12  adding Subsection (o) to read as follows:
   1-13        (o)  A judge of a county court at law may provide that any
   1-14  criminal proceeding in the county court at law be recorded by a
   1-15  good quality electronic recording device instead of by a court
   1-16  reporter, unless the defendant requests that a court reporter be
   1-17  present upon written motion filed with the court not later than 10
   1-18  days prior to trial.  If a recording device is used, the court
   1-19  reporter need not be present at the proceeding to certify the
   1-20  statement of facts.
   1-21        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-22  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-23  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-24  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-25  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   1-26  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   1-27  passage, and it is so enacted.
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