1-1     By:  Duncan                                            S.B. No. 265
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 25, 1999; January 28, 1999,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;
 1-4     April 15, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 3,
 1-5     Nays 0; April 15, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the temporary assignment of a district court judge to a
 1-9     court of appeals.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 22, Government Code, is
1-12     amended by adding Section 22.229 to read as follows:
1-13           Sec. 22.229.  TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT OF DISTRICT JUDGE TO COURT
1-14     OF APPEALS.  (a)  The chief justice of a court of appeals may
1-15     assign a district court judge to sit on a court of appeals in which
1-16     the judge's district is located.
1-17           (b)  To be eligible for assignment under Subsection (a), a
1-18     judge must:
1-19                 (1)  meet the qualifications for a justice of a court
1-20     of appeals provided by Section 6, Article V, Texas Constitution;
1-21     and
1-22                 (2)  be an active judge of a district court.
1-23           (c)  A district court judge may not be assigned to a court of
1-24     appeals for more than 20 cases in a year.
1-25           (d)  A district court judge assigned to a court of appeals
1-26     under Subsection (a)  may not receive additional compensation for
1-27     the judge's service on the court of appeals but is entitled to
1-28     reimbursement of the travel expenses incurred by the judge while
1-29     serving on the court of appeals, as provided in the General
1-30     Appropriations Act.
1-31           (e)  A district court judge assigned to a court of appeals
1-32     under Subsection (a) has all the powers of a justice of a court of
1-33     appeals during the district court judge's assignment.
1-34           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-35     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-36     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-37     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-38     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
1-39     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
1-40     passage, and it is so enacted.
1-41                                  * * * * *