By Wentworth S.B. No. 23 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.