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