75R11018 MLS-F By Zaffirini S.B. No. 263 Substitute the following for S.B. No. 263: By Shields C.S.S.B. No. 263 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the creation of an appellate judicial system for the 1-3 Fourth Court of Appeals District. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 22, Government Code, is 1-6 amended by adding Section 22.2051 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 22.2051. APPELLATE JUDICIAL SYSTEM. (a) The 1-8 commissioners court of each county in the Fourth Court of Appeals 1-9 District, by order entered in its minutes, shall establish an 1-10 appellate judicial system to: 1-11 (1) assist the court of appeals for the county in the 1-12 processing of appeals filed with the court of appeals from the 1-13 county courts, county courts at law, probate courts, and district 1-14 courts; and 1-15 (2) defray costs and expenses incurred by the county 1-16 under Section 22.205. 1-17 (b) To fund the system, the commissioners court shall set a 1-18 court costs fee of not more than $5 for each civil suit filed in 1-19 county court, county court at law, probate court, or district court 1-20 in the county. The commissioners court shall reduce the amount of 1-21 the court costs fee by 50 cents for each $100,000 of special 1-22 appropriations made by the legislature each fiscal biennium for the 1-23 specific purpose of reducing the amount of the court costs fee 1-24 established under this section. 2-1 (c) The court costs fee does not apply to a suit filed by 2-2 the county or to a suit for delinquent taxes. 2-3 (d) The court costs fee shall be taxed, collected, and paid 2-4 as other court costs in a suit. The clerk of the court shall 2-5 collect the court costs fee set under this section and pay it to 2-6 the county officer who performs the county treasurer's functions. 2-7 That officer shall deposit the fee in a separate appellate judicial 2-8 system fund. The commissioners court shall administer the fund to 2-9 establish and maintain a fund system to assist the court of appeals 2-10 in the district. The fund may not be used for any other purpose. 2-11 (e) The commissioners court shall monthly order the funds 2-12 collected under this section to be forwarded to the court of 2-13 appeals for expenditure by the court of appeals for its judicial 2-14 system. 2-15 (f) The commissioners court shall vest management of the 2-16 system in the chief justice of the court of appeals. 2-17 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 2-18 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-19 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-20 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-21 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-22 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.