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.