1-1  By:  Craddick (Senate Sponsor - Bivins)               H.B. No. 3188
    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 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 county courts at law in Midland County.
    1-9        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-10        SECTION 1.  Section 25.1672(a), Government Code, is amended
   1-11  to read as follows:
   1-12        (a)  In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section
   1-13  25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in Midland County has
   1-14  concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in:
   1-15              (1)  family law cases and proceedings; and
   1-16              (2)  civil cases in which the matter in controversy
   1-17  exceeds $500 but does not exceed $500,000, excluding interest,
   1-18  statutory or punitive damages and penalties, and attorney's fees
   1-19  and costs, as alleged on the face of the petition.
   1-20        SECTION 2.  Section 25.1672, Government Code, is amended by
   1-21  adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
   1-22        (c)  In matters of concurrent  jurisdiction, judges of the
   1-23  county courts at law and district courts in the county may exchange
   1-24  benches and courtrooms and may transfer cases between their dockets
   1-25  in the same manner that district court judges exchange benches and
   1-26  transfer cases under Section 24.303.
   1-27        SECTION 3.  Section 25.1672(d), Government Code, is amended
   1-28  to read as follows:
   1-29        (d)  The judge of a county court at law shall be paid an
   1-30  annual salary that is at least equal to the amount that is $1,000
   1-31  less than the total annual salary, including supplements, of a
   1-32  district judge in the county and <90 percent of the annual salary
   1-33  paid by the state to a district judge in the county.  The salary
   1-34  shall be paid out of the county treasury.  The judge> is entitled
   1-35  to receive travel, educational, <expenses> and necessary office
   1-36  expenses, including administrative and clerical assistance, in at
   1-37  least the same manner and amount as the county judge.  The bailiffs
   1-38  and official court reporters of the county courts at law shall
   1-39  receive the same compensation, paid in the same manner, as the
   1-40  bailiffs and official court reporters of the district courts in the
   1-41  county.
   1-42        SECTION 4.  Section 25.1672(g), Government Code, is amended
   1-43  to read as follows:
   1-44        (g)  The district clerk serves as clerk of the county courts
   1-45  at law in cases enumerated in Subsection (a) and Section 25.0003(c)
   1-46  <(a)(2)>, and the county clerk serves as clerk of the county courts
   1-47  at law in all other cases.
   1-48        SECTION 5.  Sections 25.1672(e), (h), (i), and (j),
   1-49  Government Code, are repealed.
   1-50        SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-51        SECTION 7.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-52  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-53  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-54  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-55  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
   1-56                               * * * * *