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. 1-30 * * * * *