1-1     By:  Harris                                            S.B. No. 619

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 17, 1997; February 20, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental

 1-4     Relations; March 10, 1997, rereferred to Committee on

 1-5     Jurisprudence; March 25, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-6     vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; March 25, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to the expenses of the Court of Appeals for the Second

1-10     Court of Appeals District.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 22.203, Government Code, is amended to

1-13     read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 22.203.  Second Court of Appeals.  (a)  The Court of

1-15     Appeals for the Second Court of Appeals District shall be held in

1-16     the City of Fort Worth.

1-17           (b)  Tarrant County shall furnish and equip suitable rooms

1-18     for the court and the justices without expense to the state.

1-19           (c)  The court may transact its business in any county in the

1-20     district as the court determines is necessary or convenient.

1-21           (d) [(c)]  The Court of Appeals for the Second Court of

1-22     Appeals District is composed of a chief justice and of six justices

1-23     holding places numbered consecutively beginning with Place 2.

1-24           (e) [(d)]  The designation of offices and places under this

1-25     section identifies the offices and places for all purposes,

1-26     including identification on official ballots for primary and

1-27     general elections notwithstanding Section 52.092, Election Code.

1-28           (f) [(e)]  A vacancy in the office of justice or chief

1-29     justice of the Court of Appeals for the Second Court of Appeals

1-30     District shall be filled by designation of office and, in the case

1-31     of a justice, by designation of place.

1-32           (g) [(f)]  The court by a majority vote of its members shall

1-33     promulgate rules establishing a seniority system to determine which

1-34     office and place is held by each member of the court.  The chief

1-35     justice shall file the names and place numbers of the court members

1-36     with the secretary of state and the clerk of the court.

1-37           (h) [(g)]  If any additional offices of justices of the court

1-38     are created, the designation for those offices shall be in

1-39     consecutive numerical order beginning with Place 8.  If two or more

1-40     offices of justice are created to take effect the same date, and

1-41     the legislature does not specify places for those offices, the

1-42     court shall by rule determine places for each office.  If the court

1-43     does not determine places before a person is appointed or elected

1-44     to fill the initial vacancy, the places are determined by the

1-45     seniority system established as provided by Subsection (g) [(f)].

1-46           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-47           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-48     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-49     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-50     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-51     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-52                                  * * * * *