By:  Gallego                                                      H.B. No. 3273



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the use of funds to provide trial courts with technical 
support equipment.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 72.028, Government Code, is amended by 
adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
	(d)  Upon recommendation of the Judicial Committee on 
Information Technology and approval by the Chief Justice, the 
office may use appropriated funds to grant funding to or purchase 
equipment to be provided to trial courts to provide technological 
support in order to improve the efficient administration of 
justice.
	SECTION 2.  Section 77.031, Government Code, is amended to 
read as follows:  
	The committee shall:                                                           
		(1)  develop programs to implement the recommendations 
of the Information Technology Task Force of the Texas Commission on 
Judicial Efficiency;
		(2)  develop minimum standards for voice storage and 
retrieval services, including voice messaging and electronic mail 
services, local area networks, Internet access, electronic data 
interchange, data dictionaries, and other technological needs of 
the judicial system;
		(3)  develop a coordinated statewide computer and 
communication network that is capable of linking all courts in this 
state;
		(4)  encourage efficiency and planning coordination by 
researching the possible uses of existing computer and 
communication networks developed by other state agencies;
		(5)  develop minimum standards for an electronically 
based document system to provide for the flow of information within 
the judicial system in electronic form and recommend rules relating 
to the electronic filing of documents with courts;
		(6)  develop security guidelines for controlling 
access to and protecting the integrity and confidentiality of 
information available in electronic form;
		(7)  develop a state judicial system web page for use on 
the Internet accessible to the public for a reasonable access fee 
set by the supreme court after consultation with the committee;
		(8)  develop minimum standards for an internal computer 
and communication network available only to court staff;
		(9)  recommend pilot programs relating to the testing 
and demonstration of new technologies as applied to the judicial 
system;
		(10)  recommend programs to provide training and 
technical assistance to users of the coordinated statewide computer 
and communication network;
		(11)  develop funding priorities regarding the various 
technological needs of the judicial system; and
		(12)  recommend distributions of funds or equipment to 
courts from the judicial technology account in the judicial fund or 
from general appropriations to the Office of Court Administration 
in order to improve the efficient administration of justice.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this 
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 
Act takes effect September 1, 2003.