1-1     By:  Counts, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Truan)          H.B. No. 1782

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1997;

 1-3     April 22, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State

 1-4     Affairs; May 1, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 13, Nays 0; May 1, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to professional services in regard to certain state and

 1-9     local contracts and fund management.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 2254.002(2), Government Code, is amended

1-12     to read as follows:

1-13                 (2)  "Professional services" means services:

1-14                       (A)  within the scope of the practice, as defined

1-15     by state law, of:

1-16                             (i)  accounting;

1-17                             (ii)  architecture;

1-18                             (iii)  land surveying;

1-19                             (iv)  medicine;

1-20                             (v)  optometry;  [or]

1-21                             (vi)  professional engineering; or

1-22                             (vii)  real estate appraising; or

1-23                       (B)  provided in connection with the professional

1-24     employment or practice of a person who is licensed as:

1-25                             (i)  a certified public accountant;

1-26                             (ii)  an architect;

1-27                             (iii)  a land surveyor;

1-28                             (iv)  a physician, including a surgeon;

1-29                             (v)  an optometrist;  [or]

1-30                             (vi)  a professional engineer; or

1-31                             (vii)  a state certified or state licensed

1-32     real estate appraiser.

1-33           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-34           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-35     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-36     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-37     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-38     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-39                                  * * * * *