1-1 By: Fraser S.B. No. 1875 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed April 19, 1999; April 20, 1999, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental 1-4 Relations; May 13, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 13, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the creation of the County Court at Law of Brown 1-9 County. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is 1-12 amended by adding Sections 25.0271 and 25.0272 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 25.0271. BROWN COUNTY. Brown County has one statutory 1-14 county court, the County Court at Law of Brown County. 1-15 Sec. 25.0272. BROWN COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a) In 1-16 addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and other 1-17 law, a county court at law of Brown County has concurrent 1-18 jurisdiction with the district court in: 1-19 (1) family law cases and proceedings; and 1-20 (2) felony criminal cases. 1-21 (b) The commissioners court by order entered of record shall 1-22 set at least two terms of court each year for each county court at 1-23 law. 1-24 (c) A judge of a county court at law may not engage in the 1-25 private practice of law. 1-26 (d) The salary of a judge of a county court at law shall be 1-27 set by the commissioners court in accordance with law and shall be 1-28 paid out of the county treasury on orders from the commissioners 1-29 court. 1-30 (e) A special judge of a county court at law may be 1-31 appointed in the manner provided by law for the appointment of a 1-32 special county judge. A special judge must have the same 1-33 qualifications and is entitled to the same rate of compensation as 1-34 the regular judge. 1-35 (f) The district clerk serves as the clerk of a county court 1-36 at law in matters in which the county court at law has concurrent 1-37 jurisdiction with the district court. The county clerk serves as 1-38 the clerk of a county court at law in all other matters. 1-39 SECTION 2. Notwithstanding Section 25.0271, Government Code, 1-40 as added by this Act, the County Court at Law of Brown County is 1-41 created January 1, 2001, or on an earlier date determined by the 1-42 commissioners court by an order entered in its minutes. 1-43 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-44 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-45 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-46 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-47 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-48 * * * * *