By:  Thompson, S.                                      H.C.R. No. 1
       73R956 CCK-D
                                 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, Numerous legislative studies and independent
    1-2  analyses have recommended greater state funding of district courts,
    1-3  an area of state expenditure in which Texas lags in comparison to
    1-4  almost every other state; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, Budgetary cutbacks have abolished the district court
    1-6  support fund, which was designed to improve the efficiency of state
    1-7  district courts and to render them less reliant on the provision of
    1-8  county government support services; and
    1-9        WHEREAS, Without assurance of minimum state financial
   1-10  support, district courts must compete with entities of county
   1-11  government for scarce local funds, a necessity that detracts from
   1-12  judicial independence and requires that judges devote inordinate
   1-13  amounts of time to burdensome nonjudicial duties; and
   1-14        WHEREAS, A 1992 survey of district judges by the House
   1-15  Committee on Judicial Affairs indicates that state funding for
   1-16  support personnel and implementation of computerized docketing are
   1-17  the two most frequent recommendations for improving the efficiency
   1-18  of state district courts; and
   1-19        WHEREAS, Provision of a uniform, minimum number of support
   1-20  personnel for each court would eliminate wide variances that exist
   1-21  across the state and allow for more accurate work load,
   1-22  performance, and cost comparisons among courts; and
   1-23        WHEREAS, Computerized docketing management software has been
   1-24  developed and is used by appellate courts but generally is not
    2-1  available to district courts because of financial limitations; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, Methods of funding these valuable improvements in
    2-3  our judicial system must be identified for the state to adequately
    2-4  support its district courts; now, therefore, be it
    2-5        RESOLVED, That the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas
    2-6  hereby direct the House Committee on Judicial Affairs and the
    2-7  Senate Committee on Jurisprudence to conduct a joint interim study
    2-8  on support personnel and computerized docketing systems for
    2-9  district courts; and, be it further
   2-10        RESOLVED, That the two committees jointly develop and
   2-11  recommend methods to pay for the costs of a uniform minimum number
   2-12  of support personnel and a uniform computerized docketing system
   2-13  for each district court; and, be it further
   2-14        RESOLVED, That the committees make a complete report of their
   2-15  findings and recommendations to the 74th Legislature when it
   2-16  convenes in January 1995.