1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to educational requirements for certain court clerks and
1-3 personnel.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 56.006, Government Code, is amended to
1-6 read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 56.006. RULES; OVERSIGHT. (a) The court of criminal
1-8 appeals may adopt rules for programs relating to education and
1-9 training for attorneys, judges, [court personnel, and] justices of
1-10 the peace, district clerks, county clerks, and court personnel,
1-11 including court coordinators, as provided by Section 56.003 and for
1-12 the administration of those programs, including rules that:
1-13 (1) require entities receiving a grant of funds to
1-14 provide legislatively required training; and
1-15 (2) base the awarding of grant funds to an entity on
1-16 qualitative information about the entity's programs or services and
1-17 the entity's ability to meet financial performance standards.
1-18 (b) The court of criminal appeals, for the proper
1-19 administration of this chapter and as part of its oversight of
1-20 training programs for attorneys, judges, [court personnel, and]
1-21 justices of the peace, district clerks, county clerks, and court
1-22 personnel, including court coordinators, as provided by Section
1-23 56.003, shall monitor both the financial performance and the
1-24 program performance of entities receiving a grant of funds under
2-1 this chapter.
2-2 SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 74, Government Code, is
2-3 amended by adding Section 74.106 to read as follows:
2-4 Sec. 74.106. CONTINUING EDUCATION. (a) Except as provided
2-5 by Subsection (b), a court coordinator of a district court or
2-6 statutory county court shall annually complete 16 hours of
2-7 continuing education as provided by rules adopted by the court of
2-8 criminal appeals under Chapter 56.
2-9 (b) The court of criminal appeals may not require a court
2-10 coordinator to complete continuing education instruction during a
2-11 year in which the judge or commissioners court of the county
2-12 employing the court coordinator certifies to the court of criminal
2-13 appeals that state and local funds are not available for the court
2-14 coordinator's continuing education.
2-15 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
2-16 SECTION 4. 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.
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 622 was passed by the House on April
8, 1997, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 622 was passed by the Senate on April
24, 1997, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 0.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor