75R13940 E                           

         By Keffer                                             H.B. No. 2046

         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2046:

         By Chisum                                         C.S.H.B. No. 2046

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the location of justice of the peace courts in certain

 1-3     counties.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 292.001, Local Government Code, is

 1-6     amended by amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (e) and

 1-7     (f) to read as follows:

 1-8           (d)  Except as provided by Subsection (e), a [A] justice of

 1-9     the peace court may not be housed or conducted in a building

1-10     located outside the court's precinct except as provided by  Section

1-11     27.051(f), Government Code, or unless the justice of the peace

1-12     court is situated in the county courthouse in a county with a

1-13     population of at least 220,000 persons but no more than 230,000

1-14     persons.

1-15           (e)  All of the justice of the peace courts of a county with

1-16     a population of less than 30,000 shall be located in the county

1-17     courthouse or another facility provided by the commissioners court

1-18     if the commissioners court of the county by order finds that it is

1-19     in the best interests of the county for the courts to be located in

1-20     the same location.  A commissioners court that adopts an order

1-21     under this subsection may continue to operate under this subsection

1-22     after the population of the county exceeds the population

1-23     requirement established by this subsection.

1-24           (f)  A commissioners court that acts under Subsection (d) or

 2-1     (e) may continue to operate under that subsection after the

 2-2     population of the county exceeds the population requirement

 2-3     established by that subsection.

 2-4           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-5     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-6     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-7     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-8     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 2-9     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-10     passage, and it is so enacted.