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            |  | AN ACT | 
         
            |  | relating to the hearings officer of the Texas Department of | 
         
            |  | Banking. | 
         
            |  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
         
            |  | SECTION 1.  Section 11.202(b), Finance Code, is amended to | 
         
            |  | read as follows: | 
         
            |  | (b)  The Texas Department of Banking may employ a hearings | 
         
            |  | officer to serve the finance agencies as determined by interagency | 
         
            |  | agreement.  For the purposes of Section 2003.021, Government Code, | 
         
            |  | a hearings officer employed under this section may be retained | 
         
            |  | under contract to provide services on a part-time basis and is | 
         
            |  | considered to be an employee of each agency for which hearing | 
         
            |  | services are provided.  The hearings officer's only duty under the | 
         
            |  | hearings officer's contract is to preside over matters related to | 
         
            |  | contested cases before a finance agency. | 
         
            |  | SECTION 2.  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, 2023. | 
         
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            |  | ______________________________ | ______________________________ | 
         
            |  | President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | 
         
            |  | 
         
            |  | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1645 passed the Senate on | 
         
            |  | April 27, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0. | 
         
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            |  | 
         
            |  | ______________________________ | 
         
            |  | Secretary of the Senate | 
         
            |  | 
         
            |  | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1645 passed the House on | 
         
            |  | May 6, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 126, Nays 8, two present | 
         
            |  | not voting. | 
         
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            |  | 
         
            |  | ______________________________ | 
         
            |  | Chief Clerk of the House | 
         
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            |  | Approved: | 
         
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            |  | ______________________________ | 
         
            |  | Date | 
         
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            |  | ______________________________ | 
         
            |  | Governor |