HBA-BSM H.B. 3646 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3646 By: Kitchen Judicial Affairs 4/10/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, the jurisdictional limit in civil cases in Travis County is between $500 and $100,000. In addition, county courts at law can only seat six-person juries when a party requests a jury. Many metropolitan counties have either removed the jurisdictional limit or set limits at or exceeding $250,000. House Bill 3646 increases the maximum amount in controversy for civil cases in the Travis County courts at law to $250,000, and provides the option for a party to request a 12-member jury. 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 3646 amends the Government Code to provide that a county court at law in Travis County has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in civil cases in which the matter in controversy exceeds $500 but does not exceed $250,000 excluding interest, statutory or punitive damages and penalties, and attorney's fees and costs as alleged on the face of the petition. The bill provides that in civil cases the jury is composed of six members unless the amount in controversy exceeds $100,000, and a party to the case files a written request for a 12-member jury no later than the 30th day before the date of the trial. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.