1-1 By: Brown S.B. No. 646 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 18, 1997; February 20, 1997, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence; 1-4 April 16, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable Committee 1-5 Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; April 16, 1997, 1-6 sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 646 By: Ellis 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to court reporting firms. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Section 52.021, Government Code, is amended by 1-13 adding Subsections (h) and (i) to read as follows: 1-14 (h) A court reporting firm shall register with the board by 1-15 completing an application in a form adopted by the board. 1-16 (i) Rules applicable to a court reporter are also applicable 1-17 to a court reporting firm. The board may enforce this subsection 1-18 by assessing a reasonable fee against a court reporting firm. 1-19 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-20 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-21 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-22 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-23 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-24 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-25 * * * * *