1-1     By:  Turner of Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Fraser)      H.B. No. 1765
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 11, 2001;
 1-3     May 11, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on
 1-4     Intergovernmental Relations; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by
 1-5     the following vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to
 1-6     printer.)
 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-8                                   AN ACT
 1-9     relating to the creation of the County Court at Law of Brown
1-10     County.
1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is
1-13     amended by adding Sections 25.0271 and 25.0272 to read as follows:
1-14           Sec. 25.0271.  BROWN COUNTY.  Brown County has one statutory
1-15     county court, the County Court at Law of Brown County.
1-16           Sec. 25.0272.  BROWN COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a)  In
1-17     addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and other
1-18     law, a county court at law of Brown County has concurrent
1-19     jurisdiction with the district court in:
1-20                 (1)  family law cases and proceedings; and
1-21                 (2)  felony criminal cases.
1-22           (b)  The commissioners court by order entered of record shall
1-23     set at least two terms of court each year for each county court at
1-24     law.
1-25           (c)  A judge of a county court at law may not engage in the
1-26     private practice of law.
1-27           (d)  The salary of a judge of a county court at law shall be
1-28     set by the commissioners court in accordance with law and shall be
1-29     paid out of the county treasury on orders from the commissioners
1-30     court.
1-31           (e)  A special judge of a county court at law may be
1-32     appointed in the manner provided by law for the appointment of a
1-33     special county judge. A special judge must have the same
1-34     qualifications and is entitled to the same rate of compensation as
1-35     the regular judge.
1-36           (f)  The district clerk serves as the clerk of a county court
1-37     at law in matters in which the county court at law has concurrent
1-38     jurisdiction with the district court. The county clerk serves as
1-39     the clerk of a county court at law in all other matters.
1-40           SECTION 2.  Notwithstanding Section 25.0271, Government Code,
1-41     as added by this Act, the County Court at Law of Brown County is
1-42     created January 1, 2003, or on an earlier date determined by the
1-43     commissioners court by an order entered in its minutes.
1-44                                  * * * * *