By:  Truan, Brown, Patterson                          S.B. No. 1952

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to certain courts with probate jurisdiction.

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

 1-3           SECTION 1.  Section 5, Texas Probate Code, is amended by

 1-4     adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:

 1-5           (g)  Notwithstanding any other law, a statutory county court

 1-6     created under Chapter 25, Government Code, that has the

 1-7     jurisdiction of a statutory probate court on August 31, 1997,

 1-8     retains that jurisdiction after that date.  This subsection expires

 1-9     August 31, 1999.

1-10           SECTION 2.  (a)  An interim committee is created to study the

1-11     statutory probate system and to determine the appropriate

1-12     jurisdiction of probate courts in this state.

1-13           (b)  The committee consists of six members, of whom:

1-14                 (1)  three shall be appointed by the lieutenant

1-15     governor from the members of the Senate Committee on Jurisprudence;

1-16     and

1-17                 (2)  three shall be appointed by the speaker of the

1-18     house of representatives from the members of the House Committee on

1-19     Judicial Affairs.

1-20           (c)  The presiding officers appointing the members of the

1-21     committee shall each appoint a presiding officer from among the

1-22     members appointed to the committee.

1-23           (d)  The committee shall convene at the call of the two

 2-1     presiding officers.

 2-2           (e)  The committee shall study the statutory probate system

 2-3     of this state and the jurisdiction of the various courts with

 2-4     probate jurisdiction and shall make recommendations concerning the

 2-5     appropriate jurisdiction of those courts.

 2-6           (f)  Not later than February 1, 1999, the committee shall

 2-7     report the committee's findings and recommendations to the

 2-8     lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,

 2-9     and the members of the 76th Legislature.

2-10           (g)  Not later than the 15th day after the effective date of

2-11     this Act, the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of

2-12     representatives shall appoint the members of the interim committee

2-13     created under this section.

2-14           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-15           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-16     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-17     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-18     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-19     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.