pmwj H.B. 412 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS JUDICIAL AFFAIRS H.B. 412 By: Hartnett 2-19-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND There are five statutory county courts at law in Dallas County which have concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts involving cases in which the amount in controversy is between $500 and $100,000. PURPOSE House Bill 412 increases the jurisdiction of Dallas County's statutory county courts to provide concurrent civil jurisdiction with the district courts. This will allow the district courts to concentrate more on family, juvenile and criminal cases. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1 adds new Subsection (a), (c) and (d) to Tex. Gov't Code ' 25.0592 [note: previous unrelated Subsecs. (a),(c) and (d) were repealed in 1991]: New Subsec. (a) provides that Dallas County statutory county courts have concurrent civil jurisdiction with Dallas County district courts in addition to jurisdiction specified by Tex. Gov't Code ' 25.0003. Current Subsec. (b) is unchanged. New Subsec. (c) provides that civil cases which are mistakenly filed, docketed, assigned or tried in a Dallas County statutory county court that lacks subject-matter jurisdiction are considered clerical errors and can be corrected by a judgment or order nunc pro tunc. Thus, civil cases which are mistakenly filed, docketed, or assigned in a Dallas County statutory county court that lacks subject-matter jurisdiction are considered to have been filed, docketed or assigned in the district court. A statutory county county court judge who acts on a civil case which is mistakenly filed in a Dallas County statutory county court that lacks subject-matter jurisdiction is considered to have acted under assignment in a Dallas County district court. New Subsec. (d) provides that judgments and determinations of fact or law in a Dallas County statutory county court are res judicata and constitute a basis for collateral estoppel in any other court except appellate courts. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date.