By Thompson                                            H.B. No. 759
       74R3696 RJA-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to certain retired judges serving as local administrative
    1-3  district judges.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 74.091, Government Code, is amended to
    1-6  read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 74.091.  LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT JUDGE.  (a)
    1-8  There is a local administrative district judge in each county.
    1-9        (b)  In a county with two or more district courts the judges
   1-10  of those courts shall elect a district judge, a retired appellate
   1-11  judge with judicial experience on a district court, or a retired
   1-12  district judge as local administrative district judge for a term of
   1-13  not more than two years.  The local administrative district judge
   1-14  may not be elected on the basis of rotation or seniority.
   1-15        (c)  In a county with only one district judge, the district
   1-16  judge serves as the local administrative district judge.
   1-17        (d)  A retired judge serving as a local administrative
   1-18  district judge under this section is not a judicial officer for
   1-19  purposes of Subtitle D or E, Title 8.
   1-20        (e)  The commissioners court of a county in which a retired
   1-21  judge serves as the local administrative district judge may pay the
   1-22  retired judge for performing the duties of a local administrative
   1-23  district judge an annual salary that does not exceed the following
   1-24  amount, according to the number of courts in the county:
    2-1              Number of Courts               Salary Limit
    2-2              2 to 9                         $15,000
    2-3              10 to 15                       $20,000
    2-4              16 to 20                       $25,000
    2-5              21 to 25                       $30,000
    2-6              26 or more                     $35,000
    2-7        (f)  A county shall pay a salary under Subsection (e) out of
    2-8  the officers' salary fund or the general fund of the county.  The
    2-9  salary shall be paid in 12 equal monthly payments.
   2-10        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-11  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-12  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-13  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-14  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-15  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-16  passage, and it is so enacted.