1-1     By:  Hinojosa (Senate Sponsor - Lucio)                H.B. No. 3556

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1997;

 1-3     May 6, 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 county courts at law of Hidalgo County.

 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-10           SECTION 1.  Sections 25.1102(a), (c), and (f), Government

1-11     Code, are amended to read as follows:

1-12           (a)  In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section

1-13     25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in Hidalgo County has

1-14     concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in:

1-15                 (1)  family law cases and proceedings; and

1-16                 (2)  civil cases in which the matter in controversy

1-17     does not exceed $500,000, excluding interest, statutory or punitive

1-18     damages and penalties, and attorney's fees and costs, as alleged on

1-19     the page of the petition.

1-20           (c)  The judge of a county court at law [County Court at Law

1-21     No. 3 of Hidalgo County] shall be paid an annual salary that is not

1-22     less than  $1,000 less than the total annual salary, including

1-23     supplements, received by [does not exceed 90 percent of the amount

1-24     paid] a district judge in  the county.  The salary of a county

1-25     court at law judge shall be paid in the same manner and from the

1-26     same fund as prescribed by law for the county judge of Hidalgo

1-27     County.

1-28           (f)  The official court reporter of a county court at law is

1-29     entitled to receive a salary set by the judge of the county court

1-30     at law as provided by law for district court reporters.  The salary

1-31     shall be paid monthly by the commissioners court out of funds

1-32     available for that purpose.  The clerk of the court shall tax as

1-33     costs in each civil, criminal, or probate case in which a record,

1-34     or any part of a record, is made of the evidence a stenographer's

1-35     fee of $20 [$3].  The clerk collects the fees and pays them in to

1-36     the county's general fund.

1-37           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-38           (b)  The amendment made by this Act to Section 25.1102(f),

1-39     Government Code, applies only to a fee for a case filed on or after

1-40     the effective date of this Act.  A case filed before the effective

1-41     date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the case was

1-42     filed and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.

1-43           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-44     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-45     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-46     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-47     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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