A group of Texas lawmakers rejected a proposal this week—unpopular among some lawyers—for the 2017 Texas Legislature to repeal the rules referendum process that allows Texas attorneys to vote on changes to attorney disciplinary rules.
The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission had recommended in April that the legislature repeal the referendum process, require the Texas Supreme Court to develop a new rulemaking process for the State Bar of Texas and require the state bar to develop a new way for lawyers to give input on rule changes. Instead, the Sunset Commission recommended at a meeting on Aug. 22 that lawmakers should keep the referenda but change the rulemaking process used by the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Supreme Court.
