HBA-KDB H.B. 535 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 535 By: Thompson Judicial Affairs 3/26/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, a former or retired statutory county court judge is authorized by the presiding judge to be appointed as a visiting judge to hear matters in a statutory county court under certain circumstances. When a visiting judge takes the oath of office to preside over the statutory county court, the court clerk is required to enter into the court's minutes of a proceeding a record containing the oath. There is concern that since the court's minutes contain the entirety of a proceeding, a visiting judge may have to take an oath at every court proceeding. It may be more convenient if a file were created that would exclusively keep administrative orders, such as administration of oaths. House Bill 535 requires a court clerk of a statutory county court to enter in an administrative file, rather than the minutes of the court, a record containing information concerning the appointment of certain visiting judges. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 535 amends the Government Code to require court clerks to enter in the administrative file, rather than the minutes, a record containing information concerning the appointment of certain visiting judges to statutory county courts. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.