BILL ANALYSIS


                                                        S.B. 1622
                                                         By: Sims
                                                    Jurisprudence
                                                          4-27-95
                                     Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND

New case filings in the county court dockets of Bell County have
steadily increased, and the caseload of each court is continuing to
escalate.  A court has not been created in Ball County for 16
years.  Since that time, the county's population has increased by
a third, and new case filings in the county court dockets have
jumped from about 5300 to more than 11,000 in those 16 years.  The
caseload per judge in the county courts is much higher in Bell
County than in neighboring counties.  For new county cases filed in
1994, Bell County averages 5522 cases per judge compared to 2835
average for McLennan County, 2434 for Williamson County and 2740
for Coryell County.

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 1622 creates the County Court at Law No. 3 of
Bell County.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or
agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 25.0161, Government Code, to include
County Court at Law No. 3 in the list of county courts in Bell
County.

SECTION 2. Provides that the County Court at Law No. 3 of Bell
County is created January 1, 1999, or on an earlier date determined
by the commissioners court by an order entered on its minutes.

SECTION 3. Emergency clause.
           Effective date: upon passage.