[update: H.B. 2139 passed the House and Senate (with amendments); the amended version was under consideration by the conference committee when the session ended. See here. ]
Today, two bills related to ADR were passed by the 81st Texas Legislature:
- H.B. 1083. The bill, authored by Rep. Gary Elkins, states that “Except as provided by agreement of the parties, a court may not order mediation in an action that is subject to the Federal Arbitration Act (9 U.S.C. Sections 1-16).” The bill’s history is here.
- H.B. 2139. Authored by Rep. McClendon, the bill establishes a victim-offender pretrial mediation program for first-time offenders. The bill’s history is here.
