1-1     By:  Craddick (Senate Sponsor - Bivins)               H.B. No. 3104

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 27, 1997;

 1-3     April 29, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; May 17, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 17, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to appointment of a bailiff for the 385th district court

 1-9     in Midland County.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 53.002(a), Government Code, is amended to

1-12     read as follows:

1-13           (a)  The judges of the 34th, 86th, 142nd, 238th, 318th, [and]

1-14     355th, and 385th district courts may each appoint a bailiff.

1-15           SECTION 2.  Section 53.007(a), Government Code, is amended to

1-16     read as follows:

1-17           (a)  This section applies to:

1-18                 (1)  the 22nd, 34th, 70th, 71st, 86th, 97th, 142nd,

1-19     161st, 238th, 297th, 318th, 341st, [and] 355th, and 385th district

1-20     courts;

1-21                 (2)  the County Court of Harrison County;

1-22                 (3)  the criminal district courts of Tarrant County;

1-23                 (4)  the district courts in Taylor County;

1-24                 (5)  the courts described in Section 53.002(c), (d),

1-25     (e), or (f); and

1-26                 (6)  the county courts at law of Taylor County.

1-27           SECTION 3.  Section 53.008, Government Code, is amended to

1-28     read as follows:

1-29           Sec. 53.008.  OATH.  The bailiffs of the 22nd, 34th, 70th,

1-30     86th, 97th, 142nd, 161st, 238th, 297th, 318th, 341st, [and] 355th,

1-31     and 385th district courts, the bailiffs of the courts described in

1-32     Section 53.002(c), (d), (e), or (f), the grand jury bailiff of the

1-33     297th District Court, the bailiffs of the district courts in Taylor

1-34     County, and the bailiffs of the county courts at law of Taylor

1-35     County shall each swear to the following oath, to be administered

1-36     by the judge:  "I solemnly swear that I will faithfully and

1-37     impartially perform all duties as may be required of me by law, so

1-38     help me God."

1-39           SECTION 4.  Section 53.009(b), Government Code, is amended to

1-40     read as follows:

1-41           (b)  Each bailiff appointed by a judge of the 142nd, 238th,

1-42     [or] 318th, or 385th district court is entitled to receive from

1-43     each county in which the court sits the amount of compensation set

1-44     by the judge in an amount that does not exceed the salary of the

1-45     chief deputy sheriff of the county.  The judge shall give each

1-46     commissioners court in the district written notification of the

1-47     amount of compensation to be paid by the county.

1-48           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-49     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-50     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-51     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-52     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-53     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-54     passage, and it is so enacted.

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