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.