| 1 | 1 | | 85R2108 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Johnson of Dallas H.B. No. 220 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a person's eligibility to take the state's bar |
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| 8 | 8 | | examination and to supreme court approval of law schools for the |
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| 9 | 9 | | purpose of establishing eligibility. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 82.024, Government Code, is amended to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 82.024. LAW STUDY REQUIREMENTS; ELIGIBILITY FOR |
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| 14 | 14 | | EXAMINATION. (a) A person who has completed the prescribed study |
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| 15 | 15 | | in an approved law school has satisfied the law study requirements |
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| 16 | 16 | | for taking the examination for a license to practice law and is |
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| 17 | 17 | | eligible to take the bar examination. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) An approved law school is one that is approved by the |
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| 19 | 19 | | supreme court under Section 82.025 or other law for the [time] |
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| 20 | 20 | | period designated by the court as maintaining the additional |
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| 21 | 21 | | standards to retain approval. |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 82, Government Code, is |
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| 23 | 23 | | amended by adding Section 82.0242 to read as follows: |
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| 24 | 24 | | Sec. 82.0242. LAW SCHOOL GRADUATES; ELIGIBILITY FOR |
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| 25 | 25 | | EXAMINATION. (a) Notwithstanding Section 82.0241, a person who |
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| 26 | 26 | | graduates from a law school at an institution of higher education, |
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| 27 | 27 | | as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code, is eligible to take |
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| 28 | 28 | | the state's bar examination regardless of whether the person has |
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| 29 | 29 | | completed law study in an approved law school as required by Section |
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| 30 | 30 | | 82.024 if the person satisfies all other requirements to be |
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| 31 | 31 | | eligible to take the examination. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (b) The same procedures and deadlines apply to a person |
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| 33 | 33 | | eligible to take the state's bar examination under this section as |
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| 34 | 34 | | apply to a person who has completed the law study requirements in |
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| 35 | 35 | | Section 82.024. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 82, Government Code, is |
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| 37 | 37 | | amended by adding Section 82.025 to read as follows: |
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| 38 | 38 | | Sec. 82.025. LAW SCHOOL APPROVAL. The supreme court shall |
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| 39 | 39 | | adopt rules and procedures for a law school to become an approved |
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| 40 | 40 | | law school for purposes of Section 82.024. Rules and procedures |
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| 41 | 41 | | adopted under this section must provide for the supreme court's |
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| 42 | 42 | | approval of a law school at an institution of higher education, as |
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| 43 | 43 | | defined by Section 61.003, Education Code, regardless of whether |
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| 44 | 44 | | the law school is approved by the American Bar Association. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 4. Not later than September 1, 2018, the Supreme |
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| 46 | 46 | | Court of Texas shall adopt rules and procedures necessary to |
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| 47 | 47 | | implement Section 82.025, Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 49 | 49 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 50 | 50 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 51 | 51 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 52 | 52 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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