By: Turner S.B. No. 1581 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to the recovery of attorney's fees under the Declaratory 1-2 Judgment Act. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Section 37.009, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, 1-5 is amended to read as follows: 1-6 Sec. 37.009. COSTS. In any proceeding under this chapter, 1-7 the court may award costs and reasonable and necessary attorney's 1-8 fees as are equitable and just. Nothing under this section 1-9 authorizes an award of costs or attorney's fees against any 1-10 governmental unit as that term is defined in Section 101.001 of 1-11 this code. 1-12 SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to 1-13 a cause of action that accrues on or after the effective date of 1-14 this Act. A cause of action that accrues before the effective date 1-15 of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the cause 1-16 of action accrued, and that law is continued in effect for this 1-17 purpose. 1-18 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995. 1-19 SECTION 4. SEVERABILITY. If any section, sentence, clause, 1-20 or part of this Act shall, for any reason, be held invalid, such 1-21 invalidity shall not affect the remaining portions of the Act, and 1-22 it is hereby declared to be the intention of this legislature to 1-23 have passed each section, sentence, clause, or part irrespective of 2-1 the fact that any other section, sentence, clause, or part may be 2-2 declared invalid. 2-3 SECTION 5. EMERGENCY. The importance of this legislation 2-4 and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-5 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-6 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-7 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.