By Gallego                                             H.B. No. 791

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the authority of the Office of Court Administration to

 1-3     request, accept, and administer gifts, grants, and donations.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 72, Government Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 72.028 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 72.028.  GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS.  (a)  Except as

 1-8     provided by Subsection (b), the office may request, accept, and

 1-9     administer gifts, grants, and donations from any source to carry

1-10     out the purposes of this chapter.

1-11           (b)  The office may not request, accept, or administer a

1-12     gift, grant, or donation from a law firm, an attorney, an employee

1-13     of a law firm or attorney, or the spouse of an attorney or of an

1-14     employee of a law firm or an attorney.

1-15           (c)  In this section, "law firm" means a partnership, limited

1-16     liability partnership, or professional corporation organized for

1-17     the private practice of law.

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.