| 1 | 1 | | 84R8803 AJA-F |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Thompson of Harris H.B. No. 1851 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to promulgation of certain forms for use in |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | landlord-tenant matters. |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 22, Government Code, is |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 22.019 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 22.019. PROMULGATION OF CERTAIN LANDLORD-TENANT |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | FORMS. (a) The supreme court shall, as the court finds |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | appropriate, promulgate forms for use by individuals representing |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | themselves in residential landlord-tenant matters and instructions |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | for the proper use of each form or set of forms. |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | (b) The forms and instructions: |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | (1) must be written in plain language that is easy to |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | understand by the general public; |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (2) shall be made readily available to the general |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | public in the manner prescribed by the supreme court; and |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | (3) must be translated into the Spanish language as |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | provided by Subsection (c). |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (c) The Spanish language translation of a form must: |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (1) state: |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (A) that the Spanish language translated form is |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | to be used solely for the purpose of assisting in understanding the |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | form and may not be submitted to the court; and |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (B) that the English language version of the form |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | must be submitted to the court; or |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (2) be incorporated into the English language version |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | of the form in a manner that is understandable to both the court and |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | members of the general public. |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | (d) Each form and its instructions must clearly and |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | conspicuously state that the form is not a substitute for the advice |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | of an attorney. |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | (e) The clerk of a court shall inform members of the general |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | public of the availability of a form promulgated by the supreme |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | court under this section as appropriate and make the form available |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | free of charge. |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | (f) A court shall accept a form promulgated by the supreme |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | court under this section unless the form has been completed in a |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | manner that causes a substantive defect that cannot be cured. |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
|---|