1-1  By:  Barrientos                                       S.B. No. 1415
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 1995; March 20, 1995, read
    1-3  first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;
    1-4  April 26, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 6,
    1-5  Nays 0; April 26, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to creation of the County Court at Law Number 4 of Travis
    1-9  County.
   1-10        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-11        SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 25.2291, Government Code,
   1-12  is amended to read as follows:
   1-13        (a)  Travis County has the following statutory county courts:
   1-14              (1)  County Court at Law No. 1 of Travis County, Texas;
   1-15              (2)  County Court at Law No. 2 of Travis County, Texas;
   1-16              (3)  County Court at Law No. 3 of Travis County, Texas;
   1-17              (4)  County Court at Law Number 4 of Travis County;
   1-18              (5)  County Court at Law Number 5 of Travis County;
   1-19              (6) <(5)>  The County Court at Law Number 6 of Travis
   1-20  County; and
   1-21              (7) <(6)>  The County Court at Law Number 7 of Travis
   1-22  County.
   1-23        SECTION 2.  Section 25.2292, Government Code, is amended by
   1-24  adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
   1-25        (c)  The County Court at Law Number 4 of Travis County shall
   1-26  give preference to cases in which family violence is alleged,
   1-27  including cases under Chapter 71, Family Code.
   1-28        SECTION 3.  Notwithstanding Subdivision (4), Subsection (a),
   1-29  Section 25.2291, Government Code, as amended by this Act, the
   1-30  County Court at Law Number 4 of Travis County, is created January
   1-31  1, 1997.
   1-32        SECTION 4.  Notwithstanding Section 25.0009, Government Code,
   1-33  the initial vacancy in the office of judge on creation of the
   1-34  County Court at Law Number 4 of Travis County shall be filled by
   1-35  election.  The office of judge of the County Court at Law Number 4
   1-36  of Travis County exists for purposes of the primary and general
   1-37  election in 1996.  The qualified voters of the county shall elect
   1-38  the initial judge of the County Court at Law Number 4 of Travis
   1-39  County at the general election in 1996 for a two-year term
   1-40  beginning January 1, 1997.  Thereafter, the judge of the County
   1-41  Court at Law Number 4 of Travis County shall be elected for a
   1-42  four-year term as provided by Sections 64 and 65, Article XVI,
   1-43  Texas Constitution.  A vacancy after the initial vacancy is filled
   1-44  as provided by Section 25.0009, Government Code.
   1-45        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-46  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-47  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-48  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-49  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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