1-1 By: Thompson (Senate Sponsor - Ellis) H.B. No. 622
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 9, 1997;
1-3 April 10, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on
1-4 Jurisprudence; April 15, 1997, reported favorably by the following
1-5 vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; April 15, 1997, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to educational requirements for certain court clerks and
1-9 personnel.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Section 56.006, Government Code, is amended to
1-12 read as follows:
1-13 Sec. 56.006. RULES; OVERSIGHT. (a) The court of criminal
1-14 appeals may adopt rules for programs relating to education and
1-15 training for attorneys, judges, [court personnel, and] justices of
1-16 the peace, district clerks, county clerks, and court personnel,
1-17 including court coordinators, as provided by Section 56.003 and for
1-18 the administration of those programs, including rules that:
1-19 (1) require entities receiving a grant of funds to
1-20 provide legislatively required training; and
1-21 (2) base the awarding of grant funds to an entity on
1-22 qualitative information about the entity's programs or services and
1-23 the entity's ability to meet financial performance standards.
1-24 (b) The court of criminal appeals, for the proper
1-25 administration of this chapter and as part of its oversight of
1-26 training programs for attorneys, judges, [court personnel, and]
1-27 justices of the peace, district clerks, county clerks, and court
1-28 personnel, including court coordinators, as provided by Section
1-29 56.003, shall monitor both the financial performance and the
1-30 program performance of entities receiving a grant of funds under
1-31 this chapter.
1-32 SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 74, Government Code, is
1-33 amended by adding Section 74.106 to read as follows:
1-34 Sec. 74.106. CONTINUING EDUCATION. (a) Except as provided
1-35 by Subsection (b), a court coordinator of a district court or
1-36 statutory county court shall annually complete 16 hours of
1-37 continuing education as provided by rules adopted by the court of
1-38 criminal appeals under Chapter 56.
1-39 (b) The court of criminal appeals may not require a court
1-40 coordinator to complete continuing education instruction during a
1-41 year in which the judge or commissioners court of the county
1-42 employing the court coordinator certifies to the court of criminal
1-43 appeals that state and local funds are not available for the court
1-44 coordinator's continuing education.
1-45 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
1-46 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
1-47 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-48 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-49 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-50 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-51 * * * * *