HBA-BSM H.B. 543 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 543 By: Deshotel Judicial Affairs 3/26/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Ninth Appellate District has one of the heaviest caseloads per justice in Texas, despite the fact that approximately 18 percent of the appeals filed in the Ninth Court of Appeals are transferred to other jurisdictions. The Committee on Judicial Affairs (committee) conducted hearings on appellate redistricting during the interim of the 76th Legislature. One of the recommendations the committee approved was to place fast-growing Montgomery County in the First and Fourteenth Appellate districts and to add smaller Trinity and Chambers counties to the Ninth Appellate District. This may reduce the number of cases transferred out of the Ninth Appellate District and make the First, Ninth, and Fourteenth Appellate districts more compact. House Bill 543 complies with the committee's recommendations. 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 543 amends the Government Code to remove Chambers and Trinity counties from the First and Fourteenth courts of appeals districts, and adds them to the Ninth Court of Appeals District. The bill removes Montgomery County from the Ninth Court of Appeals District, and adds it to the First and Fourteenth courts of appeals districts. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.