SRC-BWC S.B. 1001 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research CenterS.B. 1001 By: Zaffirini Jurisprudence 5/30/2001 Enrolled DIGEST AND PURPOSE Often, district court dockets are very full, causing cases not to be heard until late in the day or to be postponed. District judges appointed to these cases must first locate available courtroom space in a county and cases may take many months to be heard and resolved. A civil or criminal case in which a party to the case is confined in a correctional facility requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to transport the inmate to the courtroom in the county in which the complaint was filed. A hearing which does not involve a jury and in which a plea is taken may easily and effectively be held inside a correctional facility, ensuring a controlled environment for the inmate and correctional officer. S.B. 1001 amends the Government Code to allow a district judge to hear a nonjury matter relating to a civil or criminal case at a correctional facility if a party to the case or criminal defendant is confined in the correctional facility. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 24.012, Government Code, by adding Subsection (e) to authorize a district judge to hear a nonjury matter relating to a civil or criminal case at a correctional facility in the county in which the case is filed or prosecuted if a party to the case or the criminal defendant is confined in the correctional facility. Defines "correctional facility." SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2001. Provides that this Act applies to a civil or criminal case, regardless of whether the case was filed or commenced before, on, or after that date.