By Ellis                                               S.B. No. 325
         76R4346 JMC-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to extending the requirement for judicial instruction
 1-3     related to family violence, sexual assault, and child abuse to
 1-4     certain judges and judicial personnel.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 22.110, Government Code, is amended by
 1-7     amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (e) to read as
 1-8     follows:
 1-9           (b)  The court of criminal appeals shall adopt the rules
1-10     necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section.  The rules
1-11     must require each justice of the supreme court, judge of the court
1-12     of criminal appeals, justice of a court of appeals, district judge,
1-13     judge of a constitutional county court, [and each] judge of a
1-14     statutory county court, justice of the peace, municipal judge,
1-15     associate municipal judge, judge sitting by assignment, associate
1-16     judge, master, referee, and magistrate to complete at least eight
1-17     hours of the training within the judge's first term of office or
1-18     the judicial officer's first four years of service and provide a
1-19     method for certification of completion of that training. At least
1-20     six hours of the training must be dedicated to the training
1-21     described by Subsections (d)(5), (6), and (7). The rules must
1-22     require each judge and judicial officer to complete an additional
1-23     three hours of training during each additional term in office or
1-24     four years of service.   The rules must exempt from the training
 2-1     requirement of this subsection each judge or judicial officer who
 2-2     files an affidavit stating that the judge or judicial officer does
 2-3     not hear any cases involving family violence, sexual assault, or
 2-4     child abuse.
 2-5           (e)  The court of criminal appeals or the court's designee
 2-6     shall report the name of a judge or judicial officer who does not
 2-7     comply with the requirements of this section to the State
 2-8     Commission on Judicial Conduct.
 2-9           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect August 31, 1999.  Each
2-10     judge or judicial officer who is in office on August 31, 1999, must
2-11     complete the judicial training required by Section 22.110,
2-12     Government Code, as amended by this Act, notwithstanding the
2-13     requirement of that section that the training be completed within
2-14     the first term of office or first four years of service.  The
2-15     training must be completed before the judge or judicial officer who
2-16     is in office on August 31, 1999, begins another term of office as a
2-17     judge or completes another year of service as a judicial officer.
2-18           (b)  A judge or judicial officer who takes office on or after
2-19     September 1, 1999, and who has not otherwise satisfied the
2-20     requirements of Section 22.110, Government Code, as amended by this
2-21     Act, must complete the judicial training required by that section
2-22     within the judge's first term of office that begins on or after
2-23     that date or within the judicial officer's first four years of
2-24     service.
2-25           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.