By Danburg                                      H.B. No. 3142

      75R1716 MWV-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the qualifications of a judge of a statutory county

 1-3     court.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 25.0014, Government Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 25.0014.  QUALIFICATIONS OF JUDGE.  (a)  The judge of a

 1-8     statutory county court must:

 1-9                 (1)  [be at least 25 years of age;]

1-10                 [(2)]  have resided in the county for at least two

1-11     years before election or appointment; and

1-12                 (2) [(3)]  be a licensed attorney in this state who has

1-13     practiced law or served as a judge of a court in this state, or

1-14     both combined, for the 10 [four] years preceding election or

1-15     appointment[, unless otherwise provided for by law].

1-16           (b)  This section prevails over any other law that

1-17     establishes a minimum legal experience requirement for a particular

1-18     judge of a statutory county court at a number of years less than

1-19     the number provided by Subsection (a)(2), but does not affect a

1-20     minimum legal experience requirement set by other law that equals

1-21     or exceeds the number provided by Subsection (a)(2).

1-22           SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act relating to

1-23     the qualifications for a judge of a statutory county court apply

1-24     only to persons elected or appointed on or after the effective date

 2-1     of this Act.  A judge elected or appointed before the effective

 2-2     date of this Act serves for the term to which elected or appointed

 2-3     unless otherwise removed from office.

 2-4           SECTION 3.  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.