By Nelson                                              S.B. No. 185
       74R910 RJA-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the requirement of a bond for official court reporters.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 52.045, Government Code, is amended to
    1-5  read as follows:
    1-6        Sec. 52.045.  OATH; BOND.  (a)  An official court reporter
    1-7  must take the official oath required of officers of this state.
    1-8        (b)  In addition to the official oath, each official court
    1-9  reporter must sign an oath administered by the district clerk
   1-10  stating that in each reported case the court reporter will keep a
   1-11  correct, impartial record of:
   1-12              (1)  the evidence offered in the case;
   1-13              (2)  the objections and exceptions made by the parties
   1-14  to the case; and
   1-15              (3)  the rulings and remarks made by the court in
   1-16  determining the admissibility of testimony presented in the case.
   1-17        (c)  Before taking office, an official court reporter must
   1-18  execute a bond with two or more sufficient sureties or with a
   1-19  surety company authorized to do business in this state as a surety.
   1-20  The bond must be:
   1-21              (1)  payable to, approved by, and filed with the judge
   1-22  appointing the court reporter;
   1-23              (2)  conditioned on the faithful performance of the
   1-24  duties of the court reporter; and
    2-1              (3)  in an amount set by the appointing judge at $5,000
    2-2  or more.
    2-3        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995, and
    2-4  applies to official court reporters appointed before, on, or after
    2-5  that date.  An official court reporter appointed before September
    2-6  1, 1995, must file the bond required by Section 52.045, Government
    2-7  Code, as amended by this Act, before October 1, 1995.  An official
    2-8  court reporter appointed on or after September 1, 1995, must file
    2-9  the bond before beginning the duties of office as required by
   2-10  Section 52.045(c), Government Code.
   2-11        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-12  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-13  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-14  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-15  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.