By Uher H.B. No. 824 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the creation of a statutory county court in Matagorda 1-3 County. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is 1-6 amended by adding Sections 25.1631 and 25.1632 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 25.1631. MATAGORDA COUNTY. Matagorda County has one 1-8 statutory county court, the County Court at Law of Matagorda 1-9 County. 1-10 Sec. 25.1632. MATAGORDA COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a) 1-11 In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and 1-12 other law, a county court at law in Matagorda County has: 1-13 (1) concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in 1-14 family law cases and proceedings; and 1-15 (2) notwithstanding any law granting exclusive 1-16 jurisdiction to the district court, concurrent jurisdiction with 1-17 the district court in criminal cases. 1-18 (b) A county court at law has concurrent jurisdiction with 1-19 the justice court in all criminal matters prescribed by law for 1-20 justice courts. This subsection does not affect the right of 1-21 appeal to a county court at law from a justice court where the 1-22 right of appeal to the county court exists by law. 1-23 (c) The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at 1-24 law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district court, 2-1 and the county clerk shall serve as clerk of a county court at law 2-2 in all other cases. The commissioners court shall provide the 2-3 deputy clerks, bailiffs, and other personnel necessary to operate a 2-4 county court at law. 2-5 (d) A person sitting in the capacity of a county court at 2-6 law judge in Matagorda County may not sit as an assigned judge in 2-7 Bexar, Dallas, Ector, Fort Bend, Harris, Jefferson, Lubbock, 2-8 Midland, Tarrant, or Travis County. 2-9 SECTION 2. Notwithstanding Section 25.1631, Government Code, 2-10 as added by this Act, the County Court at Law of Matagorda County 2-11 is created January 1, 1998, or on an earlier date determined by the 2-12 commissioners court by an order entered in its minutes. 2-13 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-14 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-15 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-16 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-17 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.