By Ellis                                              H.B. No. 3829
         76R4736 DB-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the jurisdiction of and procedure in the county court
 1-3     at law in Polk County.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Sections 25.1892(a) and (e), Government Code, are
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section
 1-8     25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in Polk County has
 1-9     concurrent [civil] jurisdiction with the district court in:
1-10                 (1)  cases and proceedings involving the collection of
1-11     delinquent taxes, penalties, interest, and costs and the
1-12     foreclosure of tax liens; [and]
1-13                 (2)  family law cases and proceedings;
1-14                 (3)  juvenile matters under Sec. 23.001; and
1-15                 (4)  noncapital felony cases.
1-16           (e)  The criminal [county attorney or] district attorney
1-17     serves a county court at law as required by the judge.  The
1-18     district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at law in cases in
1-19     which the county court at law exercises jurisdiction concurrent
1-20     with the district court.  The [enumerated in Subsection (a)(2), and
1-21     the] county clerk serves as clerk in all other cases.  The district
1-22     clerk shall establish a separate docket for a county court at law.
1-23     The commissioners court may employ as many additional assistant
1-24     county attorneys, deputy sheriffs, and clerks as are necessary to
 2-1     serve a county court at law.
 2-2           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.  The
 2-3     change in law made by this Act to Section 25.1892(e), Government
 2-4     Code, applies only to a case that is filed on or after the
 2-5     effective date of this Act.  A case that is filed before the
 2-6     effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect at the
 2-7     time the case was filed, and that law is continued in effect for
 2-8     that purpose.
 2-9           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-10     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-11     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-12     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-13     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.