83R2287 CAE-F
By: Watson S.B. No. 1796
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the release and use of certain information maintained
by the State Bar of Texas on request of certain continuing legal
education sponsors regarding attorneys.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 552.1176, Government Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:
(d) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the State Bar of Texas
shall provide the names, bar card numbers, and e-mail addresses of
persons licensed to practice law in this state to an accredited
sponsor of a continuing legal education course who is approved by
the minimum continuing legal education committee of the state bar
and who is affiliated with a state agency, including a public law
school, on the request of the accredited sponsor. A request by an
accredited sponsor under this subsection must be in writing or
electronically transmitted. An accredited sponsor who receives the
e-mail address of a person licensed to practice law may only use the
e-mail address to provide notification of accredited continuing
legal education activities. The state bar may charge the
accredited sponsor with the actual costs incurred in providing the
e-mail addresses by electronic means.
(e) For purposes of this chapter, an attorney's e-mail
address maintained by the State Bar of Texas for the supreme court
as part of the attorney membership record is not an e-mail address
of a member of the public that is provided for the purpose of
communicating electronically with a governmental body.
SECTION 2. This Act applies only to a request to the State
Bar of Texas under Section 552.1176(d), Government Code, as added
by this Act, that occurs on or after the effective date of this Act.
A request to the state bar under that section that occurs before the
effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect
immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is
continued in effect for that purpose.
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, 2013.