By Dutton                                             H.B. No. 1567
         77R6407 DAK-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to limiting the award of attorney's fees by a justice
 1-3     court.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 27, Government Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 27.035 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 27.035.  LIMITATION ON AWARD OF ATTORNEY'S FEES. (a)  A
 1-8     justice court may not award attorney's fees in any civil action in
 1-9     an amount greater than $500.
1-10           (b)  This section does not authorize an award of attorney's
1-11     fees.
1-12           SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001, and
1-13     applies only to a cause of action that accrues on or after that
1-14     date.  An action that accrued before the effective date of this Act
1-15     is governed by the law applicable to the action immediately before
1-16     the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect
1-17     for that purpose.