BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	C.S.S.B. 1538
89R30696 BCH-D	By: Zaffirini
	Jurisprudence
	5/14/2025
	Committee Report (Substituted)

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Texas is facing a growing shortage of court reporters, driven by factors like retirements, a lack of new entrants, and challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. This shortage has led to delays in transcription service and case backlogs. In Bexar County, for example, the shortage has caused postponed court proceedings despite offering competitive salaries of more than $10,000 per month. Contributing factors to this shortage include uncompetitive pay in certain areas of the state, limited awareness of the profession, and the demanding nature of the job. What's more, current law narrowly defines official court reporters to mean shorthand reporters, eliminating an emerging field of court recorders from consideration as official court reporters.

S.B. 1538 would help mitigate this shortage by expanding the pool of court reporters to include registered court recorders regulated by the Judicial Branch Certification Commission. Court recorders, who may operate with advanced technology such as voice recognition or digital transcription, can help alleviate the burden to shorthand reporters by providing a complementary service. This would reduce the court's reliance on traditional court reporters, allowing them to focus on more complex cases that require their specific expertise. What's more, expanding the use of court recorders could help streamline proceedings, reduce delays, and ease the workload for existing court reporters, ultimately improving the efficiency of the entire legal system in Texas.  

(Original Author's/Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

C.S.S.B. 1538 amends current law relating to a study on digital court reporting conducted by the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. Defines "digital court reporting" and "office."

SECTION 2. DIGITAL COURT REPORTING STUDY. Requires the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System (OCA) to conduct a study on digital court reporting, including:

(1) an evaluation of the current use of digital court reporting in the courts of this state, including the cost, access, accuracy, and effectiveness of digital court reporting;

(2) an analysis of the use of digital court reporting in other states and jurisdictions; and

(3) recommendations on any necessary changes to statutes, rules, regulations, or standards regarding the use of digital court reporting in this state.

SECTION 3. REPORT. Requires OCA, not later than October 1, 2026, to submit a report on the study conducted under this Act to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and appropriate standing committees of the legislature.

�SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. Provides that this Act expires September 1, 2027.

SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. Effective date: September 1, 2025.