1-1 By: Thompson (Senate Sponsor - Whitmire) H.B. No. 3664
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 30, 2001;
1-3 April 30, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on
1-4 Criminal Justice; May 10, 2001, reported favorably by the following
1-5 vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 10, 2001, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to the authority of criminal law hearing officers in
1-9 certain counties to enforce certain judgments and orders.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Section 54.856(a), Government Code, is amended to
1-12 read as follows:
1-13 (a) A criminal law hearing officer appointed under this
1-14 subchapter has limited concurrent jurisdiction over criminal cases
1-15 filed in the district courts, county criminal courts at law, and
1-16 justice courts of the county. The jurisdiction of the criminal law
1-17 hearing officer is limited to:
1-18 (1) determining probable cause for further detention
1-19 of any person detained on a criminal complaint, information, or
1-20 indictment filed in the district courts, county criminal courts at
1-21 law, or justice courts of the county;
1-22 (2) committing the defendant to jail, discharging the
1-23 defendant from custody, or admitting the defendant to bail, as the
1-24 law and facts of the case require;
1-25 (3) issuing search warrants and arrest warrants as
1-26 provided by law for magistrates; [and]
1-27 (4) as to criminal cases filed in justice courts,
1-28 disposing of cases as provided by law, other than by trial, and
1-29 collecting fines and enforcing judgments and orders of the justice
1-30 courts in criminal cases; and
1-31 (5) enforcing judgments and orders of the county
1-32 criminal courts at law in criminal cases.
1-33 SECTION 2. Section 54.858, Government Code, is amended by
1-34 adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:
1-35 (f) A criminal law hearing officer may enforce judgments and
1-36 orders of the county criminal courts at law in criminal cases.
1-37 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
1-38 * * * * *