Amend CSSB 1811 (house committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered ARTICLE to the bill and renumbering subsequent ARTICLES and SECTIONS of the bill appropriately:

ARTICLE ____. CREATION OF CLINICAL LEGAL EDUCATION ACCOUNT AND LEGISLATIVE FELLOWS PROGRAM

SECTION ___.01. Sections 81.054(c), (d), and (j), Government Code, are amended to read as follows:

(c) Fees shall be paid to the clerk of the supreme court. The clerk shall retain the fees, other than fees collected under Subsection (j), until distributed to the state bar for expenditure under the direction of the supreme court to administer this chapter. The clerk shall retain the fees collected under Subsection (j) until distribution is approved by an order of the supreme court. In ordering that distribution, the supreme court shall order that the fees collected under Subsection (j) be remitted to the comptroller at least as frequently as quarterly. The comptroller shall credit the remitted fees as follows:

(1) 35 [50] percent [~~of the remitted fees~~] to the credit of the judicial fund for programs approved by the supreme court that provide basic civil legal services to the indigent;

(2) 35 [~~and shall credit the remaining 50~~] percent [~~of the remitted fees~~] to the fair defense account in the general revenue fund which is established under Section 71.058, to be used, subject to all requirements of Section 71.062, for demonstration or pilot projects that develop and promote best practices for the efficient delivery of quality representation to indigent defendants in criminal cases at trial, on appeal, and in postconviction proceedings;

(3) 25 percent to the clinical legal education account established under Section 62.161, Education Code; and

(4) five percent to the Texas Legislative Fellows Fund account established under Section 65.48, Education Code.

(d) The portion of fees [~~Fees~~] collected under Subsection (j) that is deposited under Subsection (c)(1) or (2) may be used only to provide basic civil legal services to the indigent and legal representation and other defense services to indigent defendants in criminal cases as provided by Subsection (c). The portion of fees collected under Subsection (j) that is deposited to an account under Subsection (c)(3) or (4) may be used only for the purposes for which the applicable account is established. Other fees collected under this chapter may be used only for administering the public purposes provided by this chapter.

(j) The supreme court shall set an additional legal services fee in an amount of $100 [~~$65~~] to be paid annually by each active member of the state bar except as provided by Subsection (k). Section 81.024 does not apply to a fee set under this subsection.

SECTION ___.02. Chapter 62, Education Code, is amended by adding Subchapter H to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER H. CLINICAL LEGAL EDUCATION ACCOUNT

Sec. 62.161. CLINICAL LEGAL EDUCATION ACCOUNT. (a) The clinical legal education account is a special account in the general revenue fund.

(b) The clinical legal education account consists of:

(1) money transferred to the account by the comptroller under Section 81.054, Government Code;

(2) money appropriated to the account by the legislature; and

(3) any gifts or grants received by the comptroller for purposes of this section.

(c) The clinical legal education account may be used only for making payments as provided by this section for the operation of clinical law programs at the following law schools:

(1) Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law;

(2) Texas Tech University School of Law;

(3) University of Houston Law Center;

(4) University of North Texas System College of Law; and

(5) The University of Texas School of Law.

(d) The comptroller shall distribute the balance of the clinical legal education account quarterly to the law schools listed in Subsection (c) in proportion to the total number of students enrolled in a juris doctor degree program at each of those law schools.

(e) The comptroller may accept gifts and grants for the purposes described by Subsection (c). Funds received under this subsection shall be deposited to the credit of the clinical legal education account.

(f) The clinical legal education account is exempt from Section 403.095, Government Code.

SECTION ___.03. Subchapter C, Chapter 65, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 65.48 to read as follows:

Sec. 65.48. TEXAS LEGISLATIVE FELLOWS PROGRAM. (a) The board shall develop and establish the Texas Legislative Fellows Program, under which students enrolled in component institutions of the system are selected to perform internships for members of the Texas Legislature during the spring semester of odd-numbered years.

(b) Under the program, during the fall semester of each even-numbered year, the chancellor of the system shall select 20 students enrolled in component institutions of the system to participate in the program during the following semester. At least one student must be selected from each component general academic teaching institution.

(1) an application process and eligibility requirements for the selection of students for participation in the program; and

(2) a process for matching student participants with offices of members of the legislature who agree to employ one or more of the students under the program.

(d) The program shall be designed to require that each student who participates in the program:

(1) work at least the following number of hours for a member of the legislature during the regular legislative session:

(A) 20 hours per week for the first 6 weeks;

(B) 30 hours per week for weeks 7 through 10; and

(2) during the internship, complete three academic courses relating to state government and legislative issues approved by the board for purposes of this section.

(e) A student who successfully completes the student's internship under the program is entitled to receive:

(1) a stipend of $10,000, payable in monthly installments during the student's internship; and

(2) six hours of independent study course credit toward the student's degree at the component institution of the system in which the student is enrolled.

(f) The board shall appoint a faculty member of a component institution of the system to serve as the director of the program. The director shall supervise student participants in the program and shall teach the courses required by Subsection (d)(2).

(g) The stipend for an intern shall be paid from the operating account of the member of the legislature to whom the intern is assigned. The applicable house of the legislature shall supplement the member's operating account as necessary to provide sufficient funding for the stipend. Each house shall contribute to the salary of the program director from the general fund of the applicable house.

(h) The Texas Legislative Fellows Fund is a special account in the general revenue fund.

(i) The Texas Legislative Fellows Fund consists of:

(1) money transferred to the account by the comptroller under Section 81.054, Government Code;

(2) money appropriated to the account by the legislature; and

(3) any gifts or grants received by the board for purposes of this section.

(j) The Texas Legislative Fellows Fund may be used only for administration of the Texas Legislative Fellows Program established under this section.

(k) The board may solicit and accept gifts and grants for the purposes of this section. Money received under this subsection shall be deposited to the credit of the Texas Legislative Fellows Fund.