By:  Harris                                   S.B. No. 619

         97S0415/1                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the expenses of the Court of Appeals for the Second

 1-2     Court of Appeals District.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 22.203, Government Code, is amended to

 1-5     read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 22.203.  Second Court of Appeals.  (a)  The Court of

 1-7     Appeals for the Second Court of Appeals District shall be held in

 1-8     the City of Fort Worth.

 1-9           (b)  Tarrant County shall furnish and equip suitable rooms

1-10     for the court and the justices without expense to the state.

1-11           (c)  The court may transact its business in any county in the

1-12     district as the court determines is necessary or convenient.

1-13           (d) [(c)]  The Court of Appeals for the Second Court of

1-14     Appeals District is composed of a chief justice and of six justices

1-15     holding places numbered consecutively beginning with Place 2.

1-16           (e) [(d)]  The designation of offices and places under this

1-17     section identifies the offices and places for all purposes,

1-18     including identification on official ballots for primary and

1-19     general elections notwithstanding Section 52.092, Election Code.

1-20           (f) [(e)]  A vacancy in the office of justice or chief

1-21     justice of the Court of Appeals for the Second Court of Appeals

1-22     District shall be filled by designation of office and, in the case

1-23     of a justice, by designation of place.

 2-1           (g) [(f)]  The court by a majority vote of its members shall

 2-2     promulgate rules establishing a seniority system to determine which

 2-3     office and place is held by each member of the court.  The chief

 2-4     justice shall file the names and place numbers of the court members

 2-5     with the secretary of state and the clerk of the court.

 2-6           (h) [(g)]  If any additional offices of justices of the court

 2-7     are created, the designation for those offices shall be in

 2-8     consecutive numerical order beginning with Place 8.  If two or more

 2-9     offices of justice are created to take effect the same date, and

2-10     the legislature does not specify places for those offices, the

2-11     court shall by rule determine places for each office.  If the court

2-12     does not determine places before a person is appointed or elected

2-13     to fill the initial vacancy, the places are determined by the

2-14     seniority system established as provided by Subsection (g) [(f)].

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

2-16           SECTION 3.  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.