Legislation in Texas would create a way for attorneys to apply with the State Bar of Texas for identification cards for use in any of Texas’ 254 counties.
House Bill 1359 by Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, would create an identification card with the lawyer’s photo on it. The House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee voted recently to pass it.The Texas Bar would create a committee to accept applications and vet applicants, which would include a criminal history check to be repeated annually for card holders. Each applicant would pay a fee to cover the Texas Bar’s costs in issuing the cards, and part of that fee would go back to the lawyer’s home county to be spent on court security.
