PMWJ H.B. 971 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS JUDICIAL AFFAIRS H.B. 971 By: Hartnett 3-5-97 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND Dallas County has ten statutory county criminal courts. It is unclear that Dallas County statutory county criminal courts are the proper venue to hear driver's license suspension appeals and applications for occupational driver's licenses. PURPOSE This bill clarifies that Dallas County's criminal courts-at-law have jurisdiction to hear appeals of the suspension and driver's licenses and original jurisdiction regarding the granting of occupational driver's licenses. 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 amends Tex. Gov't Code ' 25.0593(a) to provide that a county criminal court in Dallas County has concurrent jurisdiction with county courts at law to hear appeals of the suspension of driver's licenses and original jurisdiction regarding occupational driver's licenses. SECTION 2. Effective date. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE Section 1 in the original referred to civil jurisdiction on hearing appeals of driver's license suspensions; this was changed to "concurrent jurisdiction with county courts at law for Dallas County" in the substitute. Sections 2 and 3 are unchanged.