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.