1-1           By:  Nixon                                       S.B. No. 129

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed December 13, 1996; January 14, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;

 1-4     February 19, 1997, reported favorably, as amended, by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; February 19, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                            By:  Wentworth

 1-7     Amend S.B. No. 129 in SECTION 1 of the bill in amended Section

 1-8     82.066, Government Code (introduced version, page 1, line 9),

 1-9     between "573" and the period, by inserting:  , unless:

1-10                 (1)  no other court has jurisdiction of the matter; and

1-11                 (2)  the judge or justice finds the attorney's

1-12     appearance is justified by exigent circumstances

1-13     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 2                            By:  Wentworth

1-14     Amend S.B. No. 129 on page 1, line 8, by striking the word third

1-15     and replacing it with the word second

1-16                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

1-17                                   AN ACT

1-18     relating to the appearance of an attorney in a court of this state.

1-19           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-20           SECTION 1.  Section 82.066, Government Code, is amended to

1-21     read as follows:

1-22           Sec. 82.066.  Attorney May Not Appear.  An attorney may not

1-23     appear before a judge or justice in a civil or criminal case if the

1-24     attorney is related to the judge or justice by affinity or

1-25     consanguinity within the third [first] degree, as determined under

1-26     Chapter 573.

1-27           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-28           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-29     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-30     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-31     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-32     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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