1-1  By:  Henderson                                         S.B. No. 738
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed February 23, 1995; February 27, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;
    1-4  March 21, 1995, reported favorably, as amended, by the following
    1-5  vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; March 21, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6  COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                            By:  Henderson
    1-7  Amend S.B. No. 738 by substituting the language in SECTION 1 as
    1-8  follows:
    1-9        SECTION 1.  Section 24.011, Property Code, is amended to read
   1-10  as follows:
   1-11        Sec. 24.011.  NONLAWYER REPRESENTATION.  In forcible detainer
   1-12  suits in justice court for nonpayment of rent or holding over
   1-13  beyond a rental term, landlords <the parties> may represent
   1-14  themselves or be represented by their employees or the employees of
   1-15  their authorized managing agents, who need not be attorneys, and
   1-16  tenants may represent themselves or be represented by any
   1-17  nonattorney who does not charge the tenant a fee for
   1-18  representation.  In any forcible detainer or forcible entry and
   1-19  detainer suit in justice court, authorized agent requesting or
   1-20  obtaining a default judgment need not be an attorney.  Any party
   1-21  may be represented by an attorney.
   1-22                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
   1-23                                AN ACT
   1-24  relating to nonlawyer representation in a forcible detainer or a
   1-25  forcible entry and detainer suit in justice court.
   1-26        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-27        SECTION 1.  Section 24.011, Property Code, is amended to read
   1-28  as follows:
   1-29        Sec. 24.011.  Nonlawyer Representation.  In forcible detainer
   1-30  suits in justice court for nonpayment of rent or holding over
   1-31  beyond a rental term, landlords <the parties> may represent
   1-32  themselves or be represented by their authorized employees and
   1-33  tenants may represent themselves or be represented by a person who
   1-34  resides on the premises that are the subject of the suit.  A
   1-35  representative designated by a landlord or tenant <agents, who>
   1-36  need not be an attorney <attorneys>.  In any forcible detainer or
   1-37  forcible entry and detainer suit in justice court, an authorized
   1-38  representative <agent> requesting or obtaining a default judgment
   1-39  need not be an attorney.
   1-40        SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
   1-41  to a forcible detainer or a forcible entry and detainer suit filed
   1-42  on or after the effective date of this Act.  A suit filed before
   1-43  the effective date of this Act is covered by the law in effect when
   1-44  the suit was filed, and the former law is continued in effect for
   1-45  that purpose.
   1-46        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-47  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-48  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-49  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-50  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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