By Kuempel                                      H.B. No. 1688

      75R5278 MLS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the jurisdiction and administration of the Guadalupe

 1-3     County Court at Law.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 25.0962, Government Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Subsections (b) and (i) and amending Subsection (f) to read

 1-7     as follows:

 1-8           (b)  In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section

 1-9     25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in Guadalupe County

1-10     has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in family law

1-11     cases and proceedings including juvenile matters.

1-12           (f)  Practice in a county court at law is that prescribed by

1-13     law for county courts, except that practice and procedure, rules of

1-14     evidence, issuance of process and writs, and all other matters

1-15     pertaining to the conduct of trials and hearings in a county court

1-16     at law involving cases in the court's concurrent jurisdiction with

1-17     the district court shall be governed by this section and the laws

1-18     and rules pertaining to district courts as well as county courts.

1-19     If a case in the court's concurrent jurisdiction with the district

1-20     court is tried before a jury, the jury shall be composed of 12

1-21     members.

1-22           (i)  The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at

1-23     law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district court,

1-24     and the county clerk shall serve as clerk of a county court at law

 2-1     in all other cases.

 2-2           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-3           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-4     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-5     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-6     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-7     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.