Amend CSHB 2837 as follows:
      (1)  On page 1, lines 5-24, strike Section 1 of the bill and
substitute the following:
      SECTION 1.  Sections 25.0005(a) and (e), Government Code, are
amended to read as follows:
      (a)  A statutory county court judge, other than a statutory
county court judge who engages in the private practice of law or a
judge in whose court fees and costs under Section 51.702 are not
collected, shall be paid a total annual salary set by the
commissioners court at an amount that is at least equal to the
amount that is $4,000 <$1,000> less than the total annual salary
received by a district judge in the county.  A district judge's or
statutory county court judge's total annual salary includes
contributions and supplements, paid by the state or a county, other
than contributions received as compensation under Section 74.051.
      (e)  A county is not required to meet the salary requirements
of Subsection (a) for a particular court if:
            (1)  not later than September 1 of the year in which
the county initially begins collecting fees and costs under Section
51.702, the county increases the salary of each statutory county
court judge in the county to an amount that is at least:
                  (A)  $20,000 more than the salary the judge was
entitled to on May 1 of  that year, if the county initially begins
collecting fees and costs under Section 51.702 before January 1,
1998, and is also at least $24,000 more than the salary the judge
was entitled to on May 1, 1997; and
                  (B)  $24,000 more than the salary the judge was
entitled to on May 1 of that year if the county initially begins
collecting fees and costs under Section 51.702 on or after January
1, 1998;
            (2)  the county maintains the salary at the minimum
required by Subdivision (1);
            (3)  the county collects the fees and costs as provided
by Section 51.702;
            (4)  the court has at least the jurisdiction provided
by Section 25.0003; and
            (5)  except as provided by Subsection (f), the county
uses at least 50 percent of the amount the county receives each
state fiscal year under Section 25.0016 for salaries for the
statutory county court judges.
      (2)  On page 3, lines 2-13, strike Sections 5 and 6 and
substitute the following:
      SECTION 5.   (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of
this section, this Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and applies
only to a fee for a case filed on or after the effective date of
this Act or to a salary payment made on or after the effective date
of this Act.  A case filed or a salary payment made before the
effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect at the
time the case was filed or the salary payment was made, and that
law is continued in effect for that purpose.
      (b)  Section 1 of this Act takes effect January 1, 1998.
      SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect only if Senate Bill No.
310, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, is
enacted and becomes law.  If Senate Bill No. 310 does not become
law, this Act does not take effect.
      SECTION 7.  The importance of this legislation and the
crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
and that this Act take effect and be in force according to its
terms, and it is so enacted.