1-1     By:  Chavez (Senate Sponsor - Shapleigh)              H.B. No. 1979
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 9, 2001;
 1-3     April 9, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on
 1-4     Jurisprudence; April 24, 2001, reported favorably by the following
 1-5     vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; April 24, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the creation of additional statutory county courts in
 1-9     El Paso County and to the administration, jurisdiction, and
1-10     operation of statutory and district courts in that county.
1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12           SECTION 1. Section 25.0731(a), Government Code, is amended to
1-13     read as follows:
1-14           (a)  El Paso County has the following statutory county
1-15     courts:
1-16                 (1)  County Court at Law No. 1 of El Paso County,
1-17     Texas;
1-18                 (2)  County Court at Law No. 2 of El Paso County,
1-19     Texas;
1-20                 (3)  County Court at Law No. 3 of El Paso County,
1-21     Texas;
1-22                 (4)  County Court at Law No. 4 of El Paso County,
1-23     Texas;
1-24                 (5)  County Court at Law No. 5 of El Paso County,
1-25     Texas;
1-26                 (6)  County Court at Law No. 6 of El Paso County,
1-27     Texas; [and]
1-28                 (7)  County Court at Law No. 7 of El Paso County,
1-29     Texas;
1-30                 (8)  County Criminal Court at Law No. 1 of El Paso
1-31     County, Texas; and
1-32                 (9)  County Criminal Court at Law No. 2 of El Paso
1-33     County, Texas.
1-34           SECTION 2. Section 25.0732, Government Code, is amended by
1-35     adding Subsections (w), (x), (y), (z), and (aa) to read as follows:
1-36           (w)  In matters of concurrent jurisdiction, a judge of a
1-37     statutory county court in El Paso County and a judge of a district
1-38     court or another statutory county court in El Paso County may
1-39     transfer  cases between the courts in the same manner judges of
1-40     district courts transfer cases under Section 24.303.  This
1-41     subsection does not apply to a county criminal court at law in El
1-42     Paso County.
1-43           (x)  A judge of a statutory county court in El Paso County
1-44     and a judge of a district court in El Paso County may exchange
1-45     benches and may sit and act for each other in any matter pending
1-46     before the court.  This subsection does not apply to a county
1-47     criminal court at law in El Paso County.
1-48           (y)  The El Paso Council of Judges shall order the transfer
1-49     of criminal misdemeanor cases to the County Criminal Courts No. 1
1-50     and No. 2 from time to time to equalize the criminal misdemeanor
1-51     dockets of the statutory county courts for the efficient operation
1-52     of the court system and the effective administration of justice.
1-53           (z)  The County Criminal Courts No. 1 and No. 2 have the
1-54     criminal jurisdiction provided by law for county courts and
1-55     appellate jurisdiction in appeals of criminal cases from justice
1-56     courts and municipal courts in the county as provided by Article
1-57     45.042, Code of Criminal Procedure, but have no other jurisdiction.
1-58           (aa)  The County Criminal Court No. 1 has exclusive
1-59     jurisdiction over environmental offenses.
1-60           SECTION 3. This Act takes effect and the County Criminal
1-61     Court No. 1 of El Paso County, Texas, and the County Criminal Court
1-62     No. 2 of El Paso County, Texas, are created January 1, 2002.
1-63                                  * * * * *