By Wentworth                                     S.B. No. 970

      75R7598 RJA-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to certain district courts in Bexar County.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 24.139(d), Government Code, is amended to

 1-5     read as follows:

 1-6           (d)  The 144th, 175th, 186th, 187th, 226th, 227th, [289th,]

 1-7     and 290th district courts shall give preference to criminal cases.

 1-8     The terms of those courts begin on the first Mondays in January

 1-9     and[, March, May,] July[, September, and November].  Each term

1-10     continues until the court has disposed of the business for that

1-11     term.

1-12           SECTION 2.  Section 24.466(c), Government Code, is amended to

1-13     read as follows:

1-14           (c)  The terms of the 289th District Court begin on the first

1-15     Mondays in January and[, March, May,] July[, September, and

1-16     November].  Each term continues until the court has disposed of the

1-17     business for that term.

1-18           SECTION 3.  Sections 24.366(c), 24.404(c), 24.405(c), and

1-19     24.467(c), Government Code, are repealed.

1-20           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-21           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

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