By Thompson H.B. No. 1123
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the salaries of certain statutory county court judges.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Sections 25.0005(a) and (e), Government Code, are
1-5 amended to read as follows:
1-6 (a) A statutory county court judge, other than a statutory
1-7 county court judge who engages in the private practice of law or a
1-8 judge in whose court fees and costs under Section 51.702 are not
1-9 collected, shall be paid a total annual salary set by the
1-10 commissioners court at an amount that is at least equal to the
1-11 amount that is $1,000 [$4,000] less than the total annual salary
1-12 received by a district judge in the county on August 31, 1999. A
1-13 district judge's or statutory county court judge's total annual
1-14 salary includes contributions and supplements, paid by the state or
1-15 a county, other than contributions received as compensation under
1-16 Section 74.051.
1-17 (e) A county is not required to meet the salary requirements
1-18 of Subsection (a) for a particular court if:
1-19 (1) not later than September 1 of the year in which
1-20 the county initially begins collecting fees and costs under Section
1-21 51.702, the county increases the salary of each statutory county
1-22 court judge in the county to an amount that is at least $28,000[:]
1-23 [(A) $20,000] more than the salary the judge was
1-24 entitled to on May 1 of the [that] year[, if] the county initially
2-1 begins collecting fees and costs under Section 51.702 [before
2-2 January 1, 1998, and is also at least $24,000 more than the salary
2-3 the judge was entitled to on May 1, 1997; and]
2-4 [(B) $24,000 more than the salary the judge was
2-5 entitled to on May 1 of that year if the county initially begins
2-6 collecting fees and costs under Section 51.702 on or after January
2-7 1, 1998];
2-8 (2) the county pays at least the salary required by
2-9 Subdivision (1);
2-10 (3) the county collects the fees and costs as provided
2-11 by Section 51.702;
2-12 (4) the court has at least the jurisdiction provided
2-13 by Section 25.0003; and
2-14 (5) except as provided by Subsection (f), the county
2-15 uses at least 50 percent of the amount the county receives each
2-16 state fiscal year under Section 25.0016 for salaries for the
2-17 statutory county court judges.
2-18 SECTION 2. Section 25.0015, Government Code, is amended to
2-19 read as follows:
2-20 Sec. 25.0015. STATE CONTRIBUTION. (a) Beginning on the
2-21 first day of the state fiscal year, the state shall annually
2-22 compensate each county that collects the additional fees and costs
2-23 under Section 51.702 in an amount equal to $35,000 [$30,000] for
2-24 each statutory county court judge in the county who:
2-25 (1) does not engage in the private practice of law;
2-26 (2) presides over a court with at least the
2-27 jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003; and
3-1 (3) except as provided by Section 25.0005(d), is not
3-2 excluded from the application of Section 25.0003 or Section
3-3 25.0005.
3-4 (b) The amount shall be paid to the county's salary fund in
3-5 equal monthly installments. Of each $35,000 paid a county, $30,000
3-6 shall be paid from funds appropriated from the judicial fund, and
3-7 $5,000 shall be paid from funds appropriated from the general
3-8 revenue fund.
3-9 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect October 1, 1999, and
3-10 applies only to a salary payment made on or after that date. A
3-11 salary payment made before October 1, 1999, is governed by the law
3-12 in effect on the date the salary payment was made, and that law is
3-13 continued in effect for that purpose.
3-14 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
3-15 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-16 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-17 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-18 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.