By Hochberg                                            H.B. No. 387
       74R2795 MLR-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the jurisdiction of a justice court.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 27, Government Code, is
    1-5  amended by adding Section 27.034 to read as follows:
    1-6        Sec. 27.034.  DEED RESTRICTION JURISDICTION.  (a)  A justice
    1-7  court has jurisdiction of suits relating to enforcement of a deed
    1-8  restriction.
    1-9        (b)  In a dispute concerning a deed restriction, a justice of
   1-10  the peace may:
   1-11              (1)  order mediation; or
   1-12              (2)  issue an injunction.
   1-13        (c)  The jurisdiction provided by this section is concurrent
   1-14  with the jurisdiction of the district court.
   1-15        (d)  A justice court has jurisdiction of suits under this
   1-16  section regardless of the amount in controversy.
   1-17        (e)  In this section, "deed restriction" means one or more
   1-18  restrictive covenants contained or incorporated by reference in a
   1-19  properly recorded deed, map, plat, replat, declaration, or other
   1-20  instrument filed in the real property records, map records, or deed
   1-21  records of the county in which the property is located.
   1-22        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-23  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-24  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-1  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-2  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    2-3  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    2-4  passage, and it is so enacted.