1-1     By:  Kuempel (Senate Sponsor - Wentworth)             H.B. No. 1688

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 14, 1997;

 1-3     April 16, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; May 15, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 15, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the jurisdiction and administration of the Guadalupe

 1-9     County Court at Law.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 25.0962, Government Code, is amended by

1-12     adding Subsections (b) and (i) and amending Subsection (f) to read

1-13     as follows:

1-14           (b)  In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section

1-15     25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in Guadalupe County

1-16     has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in family law

1-17     cases and proceedings including juvenile matters.

1-18           (f)  Practice in a county court at law is that prescribed by

1-19     law for county courts, except that practice and procedure, rules of

1-20     evidence, issuance of process and writs, and all other matters

1-21     pertaining to the conduct of trials and hearings in a county court

1-22     at law involving cases in the court's concurrent jurisdiction with

1-23     the district court shall be governed by this section and the laws

1-24     and rules pertaining to district courts as well as county courts.

1-25     If a case in the court's concurrent jurisdiction with the district

1-26     court is tried before a jury, the jury shall be composed of 12

1-27     members.

1-28           (i)  The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at

1-29     law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district court,

1-30     and the county clerk shall serve as clerk of a county court at law

1-31     in all other cases.

1-32           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-33           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-34     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-35     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-36     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-37     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-38                                  * * * * *