H.B. No. 824
    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.