By: Jones, D. H.B. No. 1351
73R5497 JSA-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to abolishing certain district courts, creating additional
1-3 district courts, and the election of district court judges in
1-4 Lubbock and Crosby counties.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 24, Government Code, is
1-7 amended by adding Section 24.0015 to read as follows:
1-8 Sec. 24.0015. RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT OF JUDGES. A district
1-9 judge elected by place from an area that is less than the entire
1-10 judicial district may, but need not, be a resident of the area from
1-11 which elected.
1-12 SECTION 2. Effective January 1, 1995, Subchapter C, Chapter
1-13 24, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 24.528 to read as
1-14 follows:
1-15 Sec. 24.528. 383RD JUDICIAL DISTRICT (LUBBOCK AND CROSBY
1-16 COUNTIES). (a) The 383rd Judicial District is composed of Lubbock
1-17 and Crosby counties.
1-18 (b) The district has three judges who are elected from
1-19 places as provided by Subsection (c).
1-20 (c) One judge shall be elected for each of the following
1-21 places:
1-22 ___________________________________________________________________
1-23 ___________________________________________________________________
1-24 ___________________________________________________________________
2-1 SECTION 3. Effective January 1, 1997, Sections 24.528(b) and
2-2 (c), Government Code, as added by Section 2 of this Act, are
2-3 amended to read as follows:
2-4 (b) The district has six <three> judges who are elected from
2-5 places as provided by Subsection (c).
2-6 (c) One judge shall be elected for each of the following
2-7 places:
2-8 ___________________________________________________________________
2-9 ___________________________________________________________________
2-10 ___________________________________________________________________
2-11 SECTION 4. (a) Effective January 1, 1995, Sections 24.239,
2-12 24.414, and 24.509, Government Code, are repealed.
2-13 (b) A judicial district created by a section of the
2-14 Government Code that is repealed by Subsection (a) of this section
2-15 is abolished January 1, 1995.
2-16 SECTION 5. (a) Effective January 1, 1997, Sections 24.174,
2-17 24.201, and 24.242, Government Code, are repealed.
2-18 (b) A judicial district created by a section of the
2-19 Government Code that is repealed by Subsection (a) of this section
2-20 is abolished January 1, 1997.
2-21 SECTION 6. (a) The judicial offices created by Section 2 of
2-22 this Act exist for purposes of the primary and general elections
2-23 for state and county officers in 1994.
2-24 (b) Not later than December 15, 1994, the judge of a
2-25 district court that is abolished by Section 4 of this Act shall
2-26 transfer all cases pending in the court to another district court
2-27 in the county. The court to which the cases are transferred may
3-1 not be a court that is abolished by Section 4 of this Act.
3-2 (c) The judicial offices created by Section 3 of this Act
3-3 exist for purposes of the primary and general elections for state
3-4 and county officers in 1996.
3-5 (d) Not later than December 15, 1996, the judge of a
3-6 district court that is abolished by Section 5 of this Act shall
3-7 transfer all cases pending in the court to the district court in
3-8 the county that is created by Section 2 of this Act.
3-9 (e) When a case is transferred from one court to another as
3-10 provided by Subsection (b) or (d) of this section, all processes,
3-11 writs, bonds, recognizances, or other obligations issued from the
3-12 transferring court are returnable to the court to which the case is
3-13 transferred as if originally issued by that court. The obligees in
3-14 all bonds and recognizances taken in and for a court from which a
3-15 case is transferred, and all witnesses summoned to appear in a
3-16 court from which a case is transferred, are required to appear
3-17 before the court to which a case is transferred as if originally
3-18 required to appear before the court to which the transfer is made.
3-19 SECTION 7. (a) Sections 2, 3, 4(a), and 5(a) of this Act
3-20 take effect as provided by those sections.
3-21 (b) Sections 1, 4(b), 5(b), and 6 of this Act take effect
3-22 September 1, 1993.
3-23 SECTION 8. The importance of this legislation and the
3-24 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-25 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-26 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-27 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.