By Hilderbran                                         H.B. No. 2136
         76R4165 DB-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the creation of the County Court at Law of Kendall
 1-3     County.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Sections 25.1321 and 25.1322 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 25.1321. KENDALL COUNTY. Kendall County has one
 1-8     statutory county court, the County Court at Law of Kendall County.
 1-9           Sec. 25.1322. KENDALL COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS.  (a)
1-10     In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and
1-11     other law, a county court at law of Kendall County has concurrent
1-12     jurisdiction with the district court in:
1-13                 (1)  criminal cases other than felony cases; and
1-14                 (2)  family law cases and proceedings.
1-15           (b)  The commissioners court by order entered of record shall
1-16     set at least two terms of court each year for each county court at
1-17     law.
1-18           (c)  A judge of a county court at law may not engage in the
1-19     private practice of law.
1-20           (d)  The salary of a judge of a county court at law shall be
1-21     set by the commissioners court and shall be paid out of the county
1-22     treasury on orders from the commissioners court.
1-23           (e)  A special judge of a county court at law may be
1-24     appointed in the manner provided by law for the appointment of a
 2-1     special county judge.  A special judge must have the same
 2-2     qualifications and is entitled to the same rate of compensation as
 2-3     the regular judge.
 2-4           (f)  The district clerk serves as the clerk of a county court
 2-5     at law in matters in which the county court at law has concurrent
 2-6     jurisdiction with the district court.  The county clerk serves as
 2-7     the clerk of a county court at law in all other matters.
 2-8           SECTION 2.   Notwithstanding Section 25.1321, Government
 2-9     Code, as added by this Act, the County Court at Law of Kendall
2-10     County is created January 1, 2001, or on an earlier date determined
2-11     by the commissioners court by an order entered in its minutes.
2-12           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-13     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-14     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-15     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-16     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.