1-1  By:  Oliveira (Senate Sponsor - Lucio)                H.B. No. 1774
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House May 8, 1995;
    1-3  May 9, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on
    1-4  Jurisprudence; May 16, 1995, reported adversely, with favorable
    1-5  Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0;
    1-6  May 16, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-7  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 1774               By:  Henderson
    1-8                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-9                                AN ACT
   1-10  relating to certain courts in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy
   1-11  counties.
   1-12        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-13        SECTION 1.  Section 25.0331(a), Government Code, is amended
   1-14  to read as follows:
   1-15        (a)  Cameron County has the following statutory county
   1-16  courts:
   1-17              (1)  County Court at Law No. 1 of Cameron County; <and>
   1-18              (2)  County Court at Law No. 2 of Cameron County; and
   1-19              (3)  County Court at Law No. 3 of Cameron County.
   1-20        SECTION 2.  Section 25.0332(a), Government Code, is amended
   1-21  to read as follows:
   1-22        (a)  In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section
   1-23  25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in Cameron County
   1-24  has<:>
   1-25              <(1)  concurrent with the county court, the probate
   1-26  jurisdiction provided by general law for county courts; and>
   1-27              <(2)>  concurrent jurisdiction with the district court
   1-28  in:
   1-29              (1)  family law cases and proceedings; and
   1-30              (2)  juvenile matters <civil cases in which the amount
   1-31  in controversy exceeds $500 but does not exceed $100,000, excluding
   1-32  interest>.
   1-33        SECTION 3.  Section 25.0332, Government Code, is amended by
   1-34  adding Subsection (b) to read as follows:
   1-35        (b)  The district court may transfer to a county court at law
   1-36  any family law case or proceeding, any juvenile matter, or any
   1-37  civil action over which the county court at law has jurisdiction.
   1-38        SECTION 4.  Section 25.0332(j), Government Code, is amended
   1-39  to read as follows:
   1-40        (j)  The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at
   1-41  law for civil actions transferred under Subsection (b), family law
   1-42  cases and proceedings, and juvenile matters, and the county clerk
   1-43  serves as clerk for all other cases.  The county clerk may appoint
   1-44  a deputy to attend the county courts at law.
   1-45        SECTION 5.  Section 25.0332(k), Government Code, is amended
   1-46  to read as follows:
   1-47        (k)  The county sheriff shall, either in person or by deputy,
   1-48  attend the County Court at Law No. 1 of Cameron County as required
   1-49  by the judge.  The county sheriff serves the other county courts at
   1-50  law <County Court at Law No. 2 of Cameron County> as provided by
   1-51  Section 25.0010(b).
   1-52        SECTION 6.  Section 25.0332, Government Code, is amended by
   1-53  adding Subsection (o) to read as follows:
   1-54        (o)  A person sitting in the capacity of a judge for County
   1-55  Court at Law No. 3 of Cameron County may not sit as an assigned
   1-56  judge in Bexar, Dallas, Ector, Fort Bend, Harris, Jefferson,
   1-57  Lubbock, Midland, Tarrant, or Travis County.
   1-58        SECTION 7.  Section 24.195, Government Code, is amended to
   1-59  read as follows:
   1-60        Sec. 24.195.  93RD JUDICIAL DISTRICT (HIDALGO COUNTY).
   1-61  (a)  The 93rd Judicial District is composed of Hidalgo County.
   1-62        (b)  The 93rd District Court shall give preference to all
   1-63  cases and proceedings under Title 3, Family Code.  The 93rd
   1-64  District Court is a family district court.
   1-65        (c)  The terms of the 93rd District Court begin on the first
   1-66  Mondays in January and July.
   1-67        (d) <(c)>  Section 24.194, relating to the 92nd District
   1-68  Court, contains provisions applicable to both that court and the
    2-1  93rd District Court.
    2-2        SECTION 8.  Subsection (a), Section 24.209, Government Code,
    2-3  is amended to read as follows:
    2-4        (a)  The 107th Judicial District is composed of Cameron and
    2-5  Willacy counties.  The court shall give preference to all
    2-6  <criminal> cases and proceedings under Title 3, Family Code.  The
    2-7  107th District Court is a family district court.
    2-8        SECTION 9.  Subsection (a), Section 24.240, Government Code,
    2-9  is amended to read as follows:
   2-10        (a)  The 138th Judicial District is composed of Cameron and
   2-11  Willacy counties.  The court shall give preference to all
   2-12  <criminal> cases and proceedings under the Family Code.  The 138th
   2-13  District Court is a family district court.
   2-14        SECTION 10.  Section 24.385, Government Code, is amended to
   2-15  read as follows:
   2-16        Sec. 24.385.  206TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (HIDALGO COUNTY).
   2-17  (a)  The 206th Judicial District is composed of Hidalgo County.
   2-18        (b)  The 206th District Court shall give preference to all
   2-19  criminal cases.  The 206th District Court is a criminal district
   2-20  court for Hidalgo County.
   2-21        SECTION 11.  Section 24.452, Government Code, is amended to
   2-22  read as follows:
   2-23        Sec. 24.452.  275TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (HIDALGO COUNTY).
   2-24  (a)  The 275th Judicial District is composed of Hidalgo County.
   2-25        (b)  The 275th District Court shall give preference to all
   2-26  cases and proceedings under the Family Code.  The 275th District
   2-27  Court is a family district court.
   2-28        SECTION 12.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   2-29        SECTION 13.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-30  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-31  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-32  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-33  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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