By Gallego                                       H.B. No. 786

      75R2977 MWV-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to statistics gathered by the Texas Judicial Council.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 71.035(b), Government Code, is amended to

 1-5     read as follows:

 1-6           (b)  The council may require a state justice, judge, clerk,

 1-7     or other court official, as an official duty, to comply with

 1-8     reasonable requirements for supplying statistics pertaining to the

 1-9     amount and character of the civil and criminal business transacted

1-10     by the court or other information on the conduct, operation, or

1-11     business of his court or the office of the clerk of his court that

1-12     is within the scope of the functions of the council.  If the

1-13     official does not supply the information within a reasonable time

1-14     after the request, he is presumed to have wilfully refused the

1-15     request.  The council shall [may] prescribe procedures, definitions

1-16     of terms, and forms for supplying the statistics and other

1-17     information.

1-18           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-19           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-20     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-21     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-22     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-23     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.