82R5144 PMO-D
By: Otto H.B. No. 3655
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the State Bar of Texas membership dues and minimum
continuing legal education requirements for an attorney employed by
the office of the attorney general.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 81.054, Government Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (m) and (n) to read as follows:
(m) A member is not required to pay a membership fee for a
year in which the member is employed as a full-time attorney by the
office of the attorney general.
(n) The state bar shall adopt rules governing the proration
of a membership fee paid by an attorney who is not employed by the
office of the attorney general for an entire year.
SECTION 2. Section 81.113(a), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the state bar
shall credit an attorney licensed in this state with meeting the
minimum continuing legal education requirements of the state bar
for a reporting year if during the reporting year the attorney is
employed full-time as an attorney by:
(1) the senate;
(2) the house of representatives;
(3) a committee, division, department, or office of
the senate or house;
(4) the Texas Legislative Council;
(5) the Legislative Budget Board;
(6) the Legislative Reference Library;
(7) the office of the state auditor; [or]
(8) the Sunset Advisory Commission; or
(9) the office of the attorney general.
SECTION 3. (a) Sections 81.054(m) and (n), Government
Code, as added by this Act, apply to a membership fee for membership
or renewal of membership in the State Bar of Texas that becomes due
on or after the effective date of this Act. A membership fee for
membership or renewal of membership that becomes due before the
effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the
date the membership fee becomes due, and the former law is continued
in effect for that purpose.
(b) Section 81.113(a), Government Code, as amended by this
Act, applies only to the requirements for a continuing legal
education compliance year that ends on or after September 1, 2012.
The requirements for continuing legal education for a compliance
year that ends before September 1, 2012, are covered by the law and
rules in effect when the compliance year ended, and that law and
those rules are continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect January 1, 2012.