By:  Moncrief                                 S.B. No. 894

         97S0017/1                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the creation of County Criminal Court No. 11 of Tarrant

 1-2     County.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subsection (b), Section 25.2221, Government Code,

 1-5     is amended to read as follows:

 1-6           (b)  Tarrant County has the following county criminal courts:

 1-7                 (1)  County Criminal Court No. 1 of Tarrant County;

 1-8                 (2)  County Criminal Court No. 2 of Tarrant County;

 1-9                 (3)  County Criminal Court No. 3 of Tarrant County;

1-10                 (4)  County Criminal Court No. 4 of Tarrant County;

1-11                 (5)  County Criminal Court No. 6 of Tarrant County;

1-12                 (6)  County Criminal Court No. 7 of Tarrant County;

1-13                 (7)  County Criminal Court No. 8 of Tarrant County;

1-14                 (8)  County Criminal Court No. 9 of Tarrant County;

1-15     [and]

1-16                 (9)  County Criminal Court No. 10 of Tarrant County;

1-17     and

1-18                 (10)  County Criminal Court No. 11 of Tarrant County.

1-19           SECTION 2.  Section 25.2223, Government Code, is amended by

1-20     amending Subsections (a) and (e) and adding Subsection (l) to read

1-21     as follows:

1-22           (a)  A county criminal court in Tarrant County has

1-23     jurisdiction over all criminal matters and causes, original and

 2-1     appellate, prescribed by law for county courts, but does not have

 2-2     civil jurisdiction.  The County Criminal Courts Nos. 3, 4, [5,] and

 2-3     6 of Tarrant County also have concurrent jurisdiction within the

 2-4     county of all appeals from criminal convictions under the laws of

 2-5     this state and the municipal ordinances of the municipalities

 2-6     located in Tarrant County that are appealed from the justice courts

 2-7     and municipal courts in the county.  The County Criminal Courts

 2-8     Nos. 7, 8, 9, [and] 10, and 11 of Tarrant County also have

 2-9     concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in felony cases to

2-10     conduct arraignments, conduct pretrial hearings, and accept guilty

2-11     pleas.

2-12           (e)  A judge of the County Criminal Court No. 1 or 2 of

2-13     Tarrant County shall devote his entire time to the duties of the

2-14     office of judge and may not engage in the private practice of law.

2-15     A judge of the County Criminal Court No. 3, 4, [5,] 6, 7, 8, 9,

2-16     [or] 10, or 11 of Tarrant County may not engage in the practice of

2-17     law.

2-18           (l)  County Criminal Court No. 11 of Tarrant County shall

2-19     give preference to cases and proceedings in which the victim or

2-20     victims and the defendant or defendants are members of the same

2-21     family or household as defined in Section 71.01, Family Code.

2-22           SECTION 3.  The County Criminal Court No. 11 of Tarrant

2-23     County is created and this Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-24           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-25     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 3-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-2     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.