By:  Fraser                                           S.B. No. 1875
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to the creation of the County Court at Law of Brown
 1-2     County.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is
 1-5     amended by adding Sections 25.0271 and 25.0272 to read as follows:
 1-6           Sec. 25.0271.  BROWN COUNTY.  Brown County has one statutory
 1-7     county court, the County Court at Law of Brown County.
 1-8           Sec. 25.0272.  BROWN COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS.  (a)  In
 1-9     addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and other
1-10     law, a county court at law of Brown County has concurrent
1-11     jurisdiction with the district court in:
1-12                 (1)  family law cases and proceedings; and
1-13                 (2)  felony criminal cases.
1-14           (b)  The commissioners court by order entered of record shall
1-15     set at least two terms of court each year for each county court at
1-16     law.
1-17           (c)  A judge of a county court at law may not engage in the
1-18     private practice of law.
1-19           (d)  The salary of a judge of a county court at law shall be
1-20     set by the commissioners court in accordance with law and shall be
1-21     paid out of the county treasury on orders from the commissioners
1-22     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 25.0271, Government Code,
 2-9     as added by this Act, the County Court at Law of Brown County is
2-10     created January 1, 2001, or on an earlier date determined by the
2-11     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.