By:  Gallegos                                         S.B. No. 1602
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to permitting certain students to take the examination for
    1-2  a license to practice law in this state.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 82.0241, Government Code, is amended to
    1-5  read as follows:
    1-6        Sec. 82.0241.  UNACCREDITED SCHOOLS OF LAW.  All matters
    1-7  relating to licensing of persons who were enrolled at unaccredited
    1-8  schools of law in this state are within the exclusive jurisdiction
    1-9  of the Supreme Court of the State of Texas and those persons
   1-10  graduating from the Reynaldo G. Garza School of Law may not be
   1-11  denied examination by the Board of Law Examiners or licensing
   1-12  solely on the basis of graduating from that school.
   1-13        SECTION 2.  Subchapter B, Chapter 82, Government Code, is
   1-14  amended by adding Section 82.0242 to read as follows:
   1-15        Sec. 82.0242.  GARZA SCHOOL OF LAW:  TEMPORARY PROVISION.
   1-16  (a)  A person who was enrolled at the Reynaldo G. Garza School of
   1-17  Law and who satisfies the law study requirements for taking the
   1-18  examination for a license to practice law in this state before June
   1-19  1, 1999, may not be denied licensing solely on the basis of having
   1-20  been graduated from that school.
   1-21        (b)  The Reynaldo G. Garza School of Law shall provide
   1-22  written notice of this temporary provision to each person who is
   1-23  enrolled or was enrolled at the school at any time.
    2-1        (c)  This section expires June 1, 1999; except that this
    2-2  section expires on January 1, 1996, unless the administration of
    2-3  the Reynaldo G. Garza School of Law before that date submits to the
    2-4  Board of Law Examiners evidence that the school has applied for
    2-5  accreditation by the American Bar Association.  After application
    2-6  for accreditation, the administration shall supply all information
    2-7  requested by the Board of Law Examiners relating to the school,
    2-8  including information relating to the curriculum and the faculty.
    2-9  Until the school has received accreditation from the American Bar
   2-10  Association, the administration shall provide quarterly reports to
   2-11  the Board of Law Examiners on dates set by the board of the
   2-12  progress of the school's accreditation application.  If the
   2-13  administration does not timely file a quarterly report due under
   2-14  this subsection, this section expires on the day after the date on
   2-15  which the report was due.
   2-16        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-17  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-18  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-19  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-20  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-21  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-22  passage, and it is so enacted.