AN ACT

 1-1     relating to certain district courts in Bexar County.

 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-3           SECTION 1.  Subsection (d), Section 24.139, Government Code,

 1-4     is amended to read as follows:

 1-5           (d)  The 144th, 175th, 186th, 187th, 226th, 227th, [289th,]

 1-6     and 290th district courts shall give preference to criminal cases.

 1-7     The terms of those courts begin on the first Mondays in January

 1-8     and[, March, May,] July[, September, and November].  Each term

 1-9     continues until the court has disposed of the business for that

1-10     term.

1-11           SECTION 2.  Subsection (c), Section 24.466, Government Code,

1-12     is amended to read as follows:

1-13           (c)  The terms of the 289th District Court begin on the first

1-14     Mondays in January and[, March, May,] July[, September, and

1-15     November].  Each term continues until the court has disposed of the

1-16     business for that term.

1-17           SECTION 3.  Sections 24.366(c), 24.404(c), 24.405(c), and

1-18     24.467(c), Government Code, are repealed.

1-19           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-20           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

         _______________________________     _______________________________

             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 970 passed the Senate on

         April 24, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 29, Nays 0.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Secretary of the Senate

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 970 passed the House on

         May 16, 1997, by a non-record vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House

         Approved:

         _______________________________

                     Date

         _______________________________

                   Governor