By Culberson                                          H.B. No. 2993
         76R571 DLF-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the award of prejudgment interest in certain civil
 1-3     cases.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 304, Finance Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 304.1025 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 304.1025.  PREJUDGMENT INTEREST ON FUTURE DAMAGES
 1-8     PROHIBITED.  (a)  In this section, "future damages" means an award
 1-9     of damages for harm that:
1-10                 (1)  has not been sustained before the date of
1-11     judgment; and
1-12                 (2)  is expected to be sustained after the date of
1-13     judgment.
1-14           (b)  A court may not award prejudgment interest on future
1-15     damages.
1-16           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, and
1-17     applies only to a cause of action that accrues on or after that
1-18     date.  A cause of action that accrues before the effective date of
1-19     this Act is governed by the law as it existed immediately before
1-20     the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect
1-21     for that purpose.
1-22           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.