By Chavez                                             H.B. No. 1979
         77R8672 YDB-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the creation of additional statutory county courts in
 1-3     El Paso County and to the administration, jurisdiction, and
 1-4     operation of statutory and district courts in that county.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1. Section 25.0731(a), Government Code, is amended to
 1-7     read as follows:
 1-8           (a)  El Paso County has the following statutory county
 1-9     courts:
1-10                 (1)  County Court at Law No. 1 of El Paso County,
1-11     Texas;
1-12                 (2)  County Court at Law No. 2 of El Paso County,
1-13     Texas;
1-14                 (3)  County Court at Law No. 3 of El Paso County,
1-15     Texas;
1-16                 (4)  County Court at Law No. 4 of El Paso County,
1-17     Texas;
1-18                 (5)  County Court at Law No. 5 of El Paso County,
1-19     Texas;
1-20                 (6)  County Court at Law No. 6 of El Paso County,
1-21     Texas; [and]
1-22                 (7)  County Court at Law No. 7 of El Paso County,
1-23     Texas;
1-24                 (8)  County Criminal Court at Law No. 1 of El Paso
 2-1     County, Texas; and
 2-2                 (9)  County Criminal Court at Law No. 2 of El Paso
 2-3     County, Texas.
 2-4           SECTION 2. Section 25.0732, Government Code, is amended by
 2-5     adding Subsections (w), (x), (y), (z), and (aa) to read as follows:
 2-6           (w)  In matters of concurrent jurisdiction, a judge of a
 2-7     statutory county court in El Paso County and a judge of a district
 2-8     court or another statutory county court in El Paso County may
 2-9     transfer  cases between the courts in the same manner judges of
2-10     district courts transfer cases under Section 24.303.  This
2-11     subsection does not apply to a county criminal court at law in El
2-12     Paso County.
2-13           (x)  A judge of a statutory county court in El Paso County
2-14     and a judge of a district court in El Paso County may exchange
2-15     benches and may sit and act for each other in any matter pending
2-16     before the court.  This subsection does not apply to a county
2-17     criminal court at law in El Paso County.
2-18           (y)  The El Paso Council of Judges shall order the transfer
2-19     of criminal misdemeanor cases to the County Criminal Courts No. 1
2-20     and No. 2 from time to time to equalize the criminal misdemeanor
2-21     dockets of the statutory county courts for the efficient operation
2-22     of the court system and the effective administration of justice.
2-23           (z)  The County Criminal Courts No. 1 and No. 2 have the
2-24     criminal jurisdiction provided by law for county courts and
2-25     appellate jurisdiction in appeals of criminal cases from justice
2-26     courts and municipal courts in the county as provided by Article
2-27     45.042, Code of Criminal Procedure, but have no other jurisdiction.
 3-1           (aa)  The County Criminal Court No. 1 has exclusive
 3-2     jurisdiction over environmental offenses.
 3-3           SECTION 3. This Act takes effect and the County Criminal
 3-4     Court No. 1 of El Paso County, Texas, and the County Criminal Court
 3-5     No. 2 of El Paso County, Texas, are created January 1, 2002.