|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to the seal of a district court and the signature of the |
|
district clerk used on process issued by the court. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. The heading to Section 51.301, Government Code, |
|
is amended to read as follows: |
|
Sec. 51.301. VACANCY; BOND; SEAL; SIGNATURE OF CLERK. |
|
SECTION 2. Section 51.301, Government Code, is amended by |
|
amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (e) and (f) to read |
|
as follows: |
|
(d) Each district clerk shall be provided with a seal for |
|
the district court. The seal must have a five-pointed star and must |
|
be engraved with the words "District Court of __________ County, |
|
Texas." The seal shall be impressed on all process issued by the |
|
court except subpoenas and shall be kept and used by the clerk to |
|
authenticate official acts. The seal may be created using an |
|
electronic means, including by using an optical disk or another |
|
electronic reproduction technique, if the means by which the seal |
|
is impressed on an original document created using the same type of |
|
electronic means does not allow for changes, additions, or |
|
deletions to be made to the document. |
|
(e) The signature of the district clerk may be affixed on an |
|
original document using electronic means, provided that the means |
|
by which the signature is affixed meets the requirements of |
|
Subsection (d) with respect to creating a seal by electronic means. |
|
(f) A seal impressed or a signature affixed by electronic |
|
means may be delivered or transmitted electronically. |
|
SECTION 3. Section 51.301, Government Code, as amended by |
|
this Act, applies to a process, other than a subpoena, issued by a |
|
district court on or after the effective date of this Act. A |
|
process issued by a district court before the effective date of this |
|
Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the process was |
|
issued, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ ______________________________ |
|
President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
|
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 229 passed the Senate on |
|
March 14, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0; and that |
|
the Senate concurred in House amendment on April 23, 2007, by the |
|
following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Secretary of the Senate |
|
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 229 passed the House, with |
|
amendment, on April 19, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 142, |
|
Nays 0, two present not voting. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|
|
|
|
|
Approved: |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
______________________________ |
|
Date |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
______________________________ |
|
Governor |