1-1  By:  Hawley (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini)              H.B. No. 3214
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 1995;
    1-3  May 11, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on
    1-4  Jurisprudence; May 23, 1995, reported favorably by the following
    1-5  vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 23, 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 Bee County.
    1-9        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-10        SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is
   1-11  amended by adding Sections 25.0151 and 25.0152 to read as follows:
   1-12        Sec. 25.0151.  BEE COUNTY.  Bee County has one statutory
   1-13  county court, the County Court at Law of Bee County.
   1-14        Sec. 25.0152.  BEE COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS.  (a)  In
   1-15  addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and other
   1-16  law, a county court at law in Bee County has:
   1-17              (1)  concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in
   1-18  family law cases and proceedings; and
   1-19              (2)  notwithstanding any law granting exclusive
   1-20  jurisdiction to the district court, concurrent jurisdiction with
   1-21  the district court in criminal cases.
   1-22        (b)  A county court at law has concurrent jurisdiction with
   1-23  the justice court in all criminal matters prescribed by law for
   1-24  justice courts.  This subsection does not affect the right of
   1-25  appeal to a county court at law from a justice court where the
   1-26  right of appeal to the county court exists by law.
   1-27        (c)  The judge may appoint a court coordinator or
   1-28  administrative assistant for a county court at law.  A court
   1-29  coordinator or administrative assistant performs the duties
   1-30  prescribed by the judge and cooperates with the administrative
   1-31  judges and state agencies for the uniform and efficient operation
   1-32  of the courts and the administration of justice.  The court
   1-33  coordinator or administrative assistant is entitled to be paid from
   1-34  county funds the compensation, fees, and allowances set by the
   1-35  commissioners court or as otherwise provided by law.
   1-36        (d)  The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at
   1-37  law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district court,
   1-38  and the county clerk shall serve as clerk of a county court at law
   1-39  in all other cases.  The commissioners court shall provide the
   1-40  deputy clerks, bailiffs, and other personnel necessary to operate a
   1-41  county court at law.
   1-42        (e)  The county attorney and the county sheriff shall attend
   1-43  a county court at law as required by the judge.
   1-44        (f)  A judge of a county court at law in Bee County may not
   1-45  be assigned under Chapter 74 to serve as a visiting judge in Bexar,
   1-46  Dallas, Ector, Fort Bend, Harris, Jefferson, Lubbock, Midland,
   1-47  Tarrant, or Travis County.
   1-48        SECTION 2.  Notwithstanding Section 25.0151, Government Code,
   1-49  as added by this Act, the County Court at Law of Bee County is
   1-50  created January 1, 1998, or on an earlier date determined by the
   1-51  commissioners court by an order entered in its minutes.
   1-52        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-53  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-54  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-55  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-56  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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