By Shapleigh                                           S.B. No. 683
         77R4966 YDB-F                           
                                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.
2-11           (x)  A judge of a statutory county court in El Paso County
2-12     and a judge of a district court in El Paso County may exchange
2-13     benches and may sit and act for each other in any matter pending
2-14     before the court.
2-15           (y)  The El Paso Council of Judges shall order the transfer
2-16     of criminal misdemeanor cases to the County Criminal Courts No. 1
2-17     and No. 2 from time to time to equalize the criminal misdemeanor
2-18     dockets of the statutory county courts for the efficient operation
2-19     of the court system and the effective administration of justice.
2-20           (z)  The County Criminal Courts No. 1 and No. 2 shall give
2-21     preference to criminal law matters.
2-22           (aa)  The County Criminal Court No. 1 has exclusive
2-23     jurisdiction over environmental offenses.
2-24           SECTION 3. This Act takes effect and the County Criminal
2-25     Court No. 1 of El Paso County, Texas, and the County Criminal Court
2-26     No. 2 of El Paso County, Texas, are created January 1, 2002.