By:  Zaffirini                                                            S.B. No. 54


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to training regarding sexual assault for a judge or judicial officer. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 22.110(b), Government Code, is amended to read as follows: (b) The court of criminal appeals shall adopt the rules necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section. The rules must require each district judge, judge of a statutory county court, associate judge appointed under Chapter 54 of this code or Chapter 201, Family Code, master, referee, and magistrate to complete at least eight hours of the training within the judge's first term of office or the judicial officer's first four years of service and provide a method for certification of completion of that training. At least six hours of the training must be dedicated to the training described by Subsections (d)(5), (6), and (7). Two hours of the training must be dedicated exclusively to sexual assault. The rules must require each judge and judicial officer to complete an additional three hours of training during each additional term in office or four years of service. The rules must exempt from the training requirement of this subsection each judge or judicial officer who files an affidavit stating that the judge or judicial officer does not hear any cases involving family violence, sexual assault, or child abuse. SECTION 2. Section 22.110, Government Code, as amended by this Act, applies only to a judge or judicial officer who has not completed the initial training related to family violence, sexual assault, and child abuse required by that section before September 1, 2003. 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.