By Raymond                                      H.B. No. 2402

      75R7066 SAW-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the 229th Judicial District and the district attorneys

 1-3     for the 49th and 229th judicial districts.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 24.276, Government Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 24.276.  229TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (DUVAL, JIM HOGG, AND

 1-8     ZAPATA [STARR] COUNTIES).  (a)  The 229th Judicial District is

 1-9     composed of Duval, Jim Hogg, and Zapata [Starr] counties.

1-10           (b)  The terms of the 229th District Court begin:

1-11                 (1)  in Duval County on the first Mondays in February

1-12     and August;

1-13                 (2)  in Jim Hogg County on the first Mondays in June

1-14     and December;  and

1-15                 (3)  in Zapata [Starr] County on the first Mondays in

1-16     April and October.

1-17           SECTION 2.  Section 32.253, Government Code, is amended to

1-18     read as follows:

1-19           Sec.  32.253.  ZAPATA COUNTY.  (a)  The Commissioners Court

1-20     of Zapata County may pay the judge of the 49th Judicial District an

1-21     annual salary not to exceed $2,400 for services rendered as judge

1-22     of the juvenile court and for administrative services.

1-23           (b)  The Commissioners Court of Zapata County may pay the

1-24     judge of the 229th Judicial District an annual salary not to exceed

 2-1     $2,400 for judicial and administrative services.

 2-2           (c)  The salaries are [salary is] in addition to the salaries

 2-3     [salary] paid by the state and all other authorized compensation.

 2-4           SECTION 3.  Section 43.128, Government Code, is amended by

 2-5     adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

 2-6           (d)  The district attorney also represents the state in the

 2-7     229th Judicial District in Zapata County.

 2-8           SECTION 4.  Section 43.168, Government Code, is amended to

 2-9     read as follows:

2-10           Sec. 43.168.  229TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT.  The voters of Duval

2-11     and Jim Hogg counties elect a district attorney for the 229th

2-12     Judicial District  who represents the state in that district court

2-13     only in those counties [elect a district attorney].

2-14           SECTION 5.  Section 32.214, Government Code, is repealed.

2-15           SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-16           SECTION 7.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-17     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-18     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-19     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-20     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.