75R9770 MLS-D By Dutton H.B. No. 696 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 696: By Zbranek C.S.H.B. No. 696 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to court reporting firms. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Section 52.021, Government Code, is amended by 1-5 adding Subsections (h) and (i) to read as follows: 1-6 (h) A court reporting firm shall register with the board by 1-7 completing an application in a form adopted by the board. 1-8 (i) Rules applicable to a court reporter are also applicable 1-9 to a court reporting firm. The board may enforce this subsection 1-10 by assessing a reasonable fee against a court reporting firm. 1-11 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-12 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-13 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-14 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-15 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-16 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.