By Ellis                                              S.B. No. 1709
         76R6729 CAS-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to fees paid by school districts for professional
 1-3     services.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 44.031(f), Education Code, is amended to
 1-6     read as follows:
 1-7           (f)  This section does not apply to fees received for
 1-8     professional services rendered, including [architect's fees,
 1-9     attorney's fees, and] fees for the services of an architect,
1-10     attorney, computer programmer, systems analyst, financial
1-11     consultant, or fiscal agent [agents].  Fees for those services
1-12     shall be determined in the manner provided by Section 2254.003 or
1-13     2254.004, Government Code, as appropriate.
1-14           SECTION 2.  Section 44.031(f), Education Code, as amended by
1-15     this Act, applies only to fees a school district pays for
1-16     professional services under a contract entered into on or after the
1-17     effective date of this Act.  Fees a school district pays for
1-18     professional services under a contract entered into before the
1-19     effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the
1-20     date the contract was entered into, and that law is continued in
1-21     effect for that purpose.
1-22           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-23           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-2     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.