By Ramsay                                             H.B. No. 1239
         76R5232 DB-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the creation of a judicial district composed of Wood
 1-3     County and the composition of the 114th and 294th judicial
 1-4     districts.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 24, Government Code, is
 1-7     amended by adding Section 24.556 to read as follows:
 1-8           Sec. 24.556.  410TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (WOOD COUNTY).  (a)
 1-9     The 410th Judicial District is composed of Wood County.
1-10           (b)  The 410th District Court has concurrent jurisdiction
1-11     with the county court in Wood County over all matters of civil and
1-12     criminal jurisdiction, original and appellate, in cases over which
1-13     the county court has jurisdiction under the constitution and laws
1-14     of this state.  Matters and proceedings in the concurrent
1-15     jurisdiction of the 410th District Court and the county court may
1-16     be filed in either court and all cases of concurrent jurisdiction
1-17     may be transferred between the 410th District Court and the county
1-18     court.  However, a case may not be transferred from one court to
1-19     another without the consent of the judge of the court to which it
1-20     is transferred, and a case may not be transferred unless it is
1-21     within the jurisdiction of the court to which it is transferred.
1-22           SECTION 2.  Section 24.216, Government Code, is amended to
1-23     read as follows:
1-24           Sec. 24.216.  114TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (SMITH COUNTY [AND WOOD
 2-1     COUNTIES]).  (a)  The 114th Judicial District is composed of Smith
 2-2     County [and Wood counties].
 2-3           (b)  The terms of the 114th District Court [in each county of
 2-4     the district] begin on the first Mondays in January and July.
 2-5           SECTION 3.  Section 24.471, Government Code, is amended to
 2-6     read as follows:
 2-7           Sec. 24.471.  294TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (VAN ZANDT COUNTY [AND
 2-8     WOOD COUNTIES]).  (a)  The 294th Judicial District is composed of
 2-9     Van Zandt County [and Wood counties].
2-10           (b)  The 294th District Court has concurrent jurisdiction
2-11     with the county court in [Wood and] Van Zandt County [counties]
2-12     over all matters of civil and criminal jurisdiction, original and
2-13     appellate, in cases over which the county court has jurisdiction
2-14     under the constitution and laws of this state.  Matters [In each of
2-15     the counties, matters] and proceedings in the concurrent
2-16     jurisdiction of the 294th District Court and the county court may
2-17     be filed in either court and all cases of concurrent jurisdiction
2-18     may be transferred between the 294th District Court and the county
2-19     court.  However, a case may not be transferred from one court to
2-20     another without the consent of the judge of the court to which it
2-21     is transferred, and a case may not be transferred unless it is
2-22     within the jurisdiction of the court to which it is transferred.
2-23           SECTION 4.  (a)  The 410th Judicial District is created and
2-24     this Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-25           (b)  The local administrative district judge shall transfer
2-26     all cases from Wood County that are pending in the 114th District
2-27     Court or the 294th District Court on the effective date of this Act
 3-1     to the 410th District Court.
 3-2           (c)  When a case is transferred from one court to another as
 3-3     provided by Subsection (b) of this section, all processes, writs,
 3-4     bonds, recognizances, or other obligations issued from the
 3-5     transferring court are returnable to the court to which the case is
 3-6     transferred, as if originally issued by that court.  The obligees
 3-7     in all bonds and recognizances taken in and for a court from which
 3-8     a case is transferred, and all witnesses summoned to appear in a
 3-9     court from which a case is transferred, are required to appear
3-10     before the court to which a case is transferred as if originally
3-11     required to appear before the court to which the transfer is made.
3-12           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
3-13     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-14     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-15     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-16     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.