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.

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