1-1 By: Uher (Senate Sponsor - Armbrister) H.B. No. 824 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 1, 1995; 1-3 May 2, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Jurisprudence; May 16, 1995, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 16, 1995, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the creation of a statutory county court in Matagorda 1-9 County. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is 1-12 amended by adding Sections 25.1631 and 25.1632 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 25.1631. MATAGORDA COUNTY. Matagorda County has one 1-14 statutory county court, the County Court at Law of Matagorda 1-15 County. 1-16 Sec. 25.1632. MATAGORDA COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a) 1-17 In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and 1-18 other law, a county court at law in Matagorda County has: 1-19 (1) concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in 1-20 family law cases and proceedings; and 1-21 (2) notwithstanding any law granting exclusive 1-22 jurisdiction to the district court, concurrent jurisdiction with 1-23 the district court in criminal cases. 1-24 (b) A county court at law has concurrent jurisdiction with 1-25 the justice court in all criminal matters prescribed by law for 1-26 justice courts. This subsection does not affect the right of 1-27 appeal to a county court at law from a justice court where the 1-28 right of appeal to the county court exists by law. 1-29 (c) The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at 1-30 law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district court, 1-31 and the county clerk shall serve as clerk of a county court at law 1-32 in all other cases. The commissioners court shall provide the 1-33 deputy clerks, bailiffs, and other personnel necessary to operate a 1-34 county court at law. 1-35 (d) A person sitting in the capacity of a county court at 1-36 law judge in Matagorda County may not sit as an assigned judge in 1-37 Bexar, Dallas, Ector, Fort Bend, Harris, Jefferson, Lubbock, 1-38 Midland, Tarrant, or Travis County. 1-39 SECTION 2. Notwithstanding Section 25.1631, Government Code, 1-40 as added by this Act, the County Court at Law of Matagorda County 1-41 is created January 1, 1998, or on an earlier date determined by the 1-42 commissioners court by an order entered in its minutes. 1-43 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-44 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-45 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-46 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-47 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-48 * * * * *