By Thompson H.B. No. 622
75R3751 MWV-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to educational requirements for court coordinators.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 56.006, Government Code, is amended to
1-5 read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 56.006. RULES; OVERSIGHT. (a) The court of criminal
1-7 appeals may adopt rules for programs relating to education and
1-8 training for attorneys, judges, [court personnel, and] justices of
1-9 the peace, and court personnel, including court coordinators, as
1-10 provided by Section 56.003 and for the administration of those
1-11 programs, including rules that:
1-12 (1) require entities receiving a grant of funds to
1-13 provide legislatively required training; and
1-14 (2) base the awarding of grant funds to an entity on
1-15 qualitative information about the entity's programs or services and
1-16 the entity's ability to meet financial performance standards.
1-17 (b) The court of criminal appeals, for the proper
1-18 administration of this chapter and as part of its oversight of
1-19 training programs for attorneys, judges, [court personnel, and]
1-20 justices of the peace, and court personnel, including court
1-21 coordinators, as provided by Section 56.003, shall monitor both the
1-22 financial performance and the program performance of entities
1-23 receiving a grant of funds under this chapter.
1-24 SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 74, Government Code, is
2-1 amended by adding Section 74.106 to read as follows:
2-2 Sec. 74.106. CONTINUING EDUCATION. (a) Except as provided
2-3 by Subsection (b), a court coordinator of a district court or
2-4 statutory county court shall annually complete 16 hours of
2-5 continuing education as provided by rules adopted by the court of
2-6 criminal appeals under Chapter 56.
2-7 (b) The court of criminal appeals may not require a court
2-8 coordinator to complete continuing education instruction during a
2-9 year in which the judge employing the court coordinator certifies
2-10 to the court of criminal appeals that state and local funds are not
2-11 available for the court coordinator's continuing education.
2-12 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
2-13 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
2-14 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-15 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-16 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-17 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.