Enrolled Bill Summary

Senate Bill 891	Senate Author:  Huffman et al.
Effective:  See below	House Sponsor:  Leach et al.

            Senate Bill 891 is an omnibus bill relating to the operation and administration of courts in the judicial branch of state government.

            Senate Bill 891 amends the Business & Commerce Code, Business Organizations Code, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, Estates Code, Family Code, Government Code, Health and Safety Code, Human Resources Code, and Local Government Code. Among other provisions, the bill:

·         creates nine district courts and eight statutory county courts;

·         revises the jurisdiction of certain statutory county courts;

·         authorizes certain county commissioners courts to appoint masters or magistrates to perform specified duties;

·         authorizes the certification of apprentice court reporters, the provisional certification of court reporters, and the waiver of prerequisites to obtaining a court reporter certification for eligible applicants who hold a certification or license issued by another jurisdiction;

·         requires the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System (OCA) to develop and maintain a public information website that allows for the posting of certain notices required to effectuate service of citation by publication and for the easy access, search, and sorting of such notices;

·         requires OCA to contract with the National Center for State Courts to conduct a study of the caseloads of the district and statutory county courts in Texas; and

·         provides for certain grant programs to be administered by the Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families and the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health for purposes of improving the administration of justice for children and individuals with mental health needs or an intellectual or developmental disability, as applicable.

 

The bill's provisions take effect September 1, 2019, with certain exceptions. Implementation of a provision of this bill by OCA is mandatory only if a specific appropriation is made for that purpose.