1-1     By:  Gallego (Senate Sponsor - Ellis)                  H.B. No. 791

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 4, 1997;

 1-3     April 8, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; April 23, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; April 23, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the authority of the Office of Court Administration to

 1-9     request, accept, and administer gifts, grants, and donations.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 72, Government Code, is

1-12     amended by adding Section 72.028 to read as follows:

1-13           Sec. 72.028.  GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS.  (a)  Except as

1-14     provided by Subsection (b), the office may request, accept, and

1-15     administer gifts, grants, and donations from any source to carry

1-16     out the purposes of this chapter.

1-17           (b)  The office may not request, accept, or administer a

1-18     gift, grant, or donation from a law firm, an attorney, an employee

1-19     of a law firm or attorney or the spouse of an attorney or of an

1-20     employee of a law firm or an attorney.

1-21           (c)  In this section, "law firm" means a partnership, limited

1-22     liability partnership, or professional corporation organized for

1-23     the private practice of law.

1-24           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-25           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-28     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-29     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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