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.