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 * * * * *