By Cain                                                S.B. No. 195
         76R2443 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).  The
 1-9     410th Judicial District is composed of Wood County.
1-10           SECTION 2.  Section 24.216, Government Code, is amended to
1-11     read as follows:
1-12           Sec. 24.216.  114TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (SMITH COUNTY [AND WOOD
1-13     COUNTIES]).  (a)  The 114th Judicial District is composed of Smith
1-14     County [and Wood counties].
1-15           (b)  The terms of the 114th District Court [in each county of
1-16     the district] begin on the first Mondays in January and July.
1-17           SECTION 3.  Section 24.471, Government Code, is amended to
1-18     read as follows:
1-19           Sec. 24.471.  294TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (VAN ZANDT COUNTY [AND
1-20     WOOD COUNTIES]).  (a)  The 294th Judicial District is composed of
1-21     Van Zandt County [and Wood counties].
1-22           (b)  The 294th District Court has concurrent jurisdiction
1-23     with the county court in [Wood and] Van Zandt County [counties]
1-24     over all matters of civil and criminal jurisdiction, original and
 2-1     appellate, in cases over which the county  court has jurisdiction
 2-2     under the constitution and laws of this state.  Matters [In each of
 2-3     the counties, matters] and proceedings in the concurrent
 2-4     jurisdiction of the 294th District Court and the county court may
 2-5     be filed in either court and all cases of concurrent jurisdiction
 2-6     may be transferred between the 294th District Court and the county
 2-7     court.  However, a case may not be transferred from one court to
 2-8     another without the consent of the judge of the court to which it
 2-9     is transferred, and a case may not be transferred unless it is
2-10     within the jurisdiction of the court to which it is transferred.
2-11           SECTION 4.  (a)  The 410th Judicial District is created and
2-12     this Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-13           (b)  The local administrative district judge shall transfer
2-14     all cases from Wood County that are pending in the 114th District
2-15     Court or the 294th District Court on the effective date of this Act
2-16     to the 410th District Court.
2-17           (c)  When a case is transferred from one court to another as
2-18     provided by Subsection (b) of this section, all processes, writs,
2-19     bonds, recognizances, or other obligations issued from the
2-20     transferring court are returnable to the court to which the case is
2-21     transferred, as if originally issued by that court.  The obligees
2-22     in all bonds and recognizances taken in and for a court from which
2-23     a case is transferred, and all witnesses summoned to appear in a
2-24     court from which a case is transferred, are required to appear
2-25     before the court to which a case is transferred as if originally
2-26     required to appear before the court to which the transfer is made.
2-27           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
 3-1     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 3-2     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-3     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-4     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.