By: Harless H.B. No. 1182
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to judicial statistics and other pertinent information,
  including landlord and tenant dispute information, gathered by or
  reported to the Texas Judicial Council and certain populous
  counties.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 71.035, Government Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), and
  (a-3) to read as follows:
         (a)  The council shall gather judicial statistics and other
  pertinent information, including monthly court activity statistics
  for each trial court in this state, from the several state judges
  and other court officials of this state.
         (a-1)  The [In addition, the] council shall implement a
  monthly tracking system to ensure accountability for counties and
  courts which participate in the statewide integrated system for
  child support, medical support, and dental support enforcement
  established under Section 231.0011, Family Code.  As a duty of
  office, the district clerks and county clerks serving the affected
  courts shall report monthly such information as may be required by
  the council, including, at a minimum, the time required to enforce
  cases from date of delinquency, from date of filing, and from date
  of service until date of disposition. Such information as is
  necessary to complete the report and not directly within the
  control of the district or county clerk, such as date of
  delinquency, shall be provided to the clerk by the child support
  registry or by the enforcement agency providing Title IV-D
  enforcement services in the court.
         (a-2)  A [The] monthly report required by Subsection (a) or
  (a-1) must [shall] be transmitted to the Office of Court
  Administration of the Texas Judicial System no later than the 20th
  day of the month following the month reported, in the [such] form
  and manner [as may be] prescribed by the office [Office of Court
  Administration], which may include electronic data transfer.  The
  office shall publish the information for each court on the office's
  public Internet website in a searchable format.
         (a-3)  In a county with a population greater than one
  million, a court official for each court in the county shall submit
  to the appropriate county official for publication on the county's
  public Internet website a copy of each monthly report required
  under Subsections (a) and (a-1) within the time required by
  Subsection (a-2). The county shall publish the information for
  each court on the county's Internet website in a searchable format
  [Copies of such reports shall be maintained in the office of the
  appropriate district or county clerk for a period of at least two
  years and shall be available to the public for inspection and
  reproduction].
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter C, Chapter 71, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Section 71.0354 to read as follows:
         Sec. 71.0354.  LANDLORD AND TENANT DISPUTE INFORMATION:
  COURTS. (a) As a component of the official monthly report
  submitted under Section 71.035, a court with jurisdiction over
  landlord and tenant disputes shall report by category each case
  filed in the court under Chapter 24, Property Code, or Title 8,
  Property Code, including:
               (1)  eviction suits;
               (2)  suits involving the disconnection of utilities;
               (3)  repair and remedy suits;
               (4)  suits involving security deposits;
               (5)  suits involving unlawful lockouts;
               (6)  suits involving the provision of security and
  safety devices; and
               (7)  any other category of suit involving a landlord or
  tenant brought under Title 8, Property Code, and designated by the
  council.
         (b)  The council may adopt rules as necessary to implement
  this section.
         SECTION 3.  As soon as practicable after the effective date
  of this Act, the Texas Judicial Council shall adopt any rules
  necessary to implement the changes in law made by this Act.
         SECTION 4.  (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
  date of this Act the Texas Judicial Council shall prescribe the
  categories of landlord and tenant suits a court is required to
  report under Section 71.0354, Government Code, as added by this
  Act, and the procedures for reporting under that section.
         (b)  Notwithstanding Section 71.0354, Government Code, as
  added by this Act, a court is not required to report landlord and
  tenant dispute information under that section until after the Texas
  Judicial Council establishes the categories and procedures for
  reporting under that section.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.