By Ogden                                              S.B. No. 1808
         77R10618 KLA-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the creation of a county court at law in Navarro
 1-3     County.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Sections 25.1771 and 25.1772 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 25.1771.  NAVARRO COUNTY. Navarro County has one
 1-8     statutory county court, the County Court at Law of Navarro County.
 1-9           Sec. 25.1772.  NAVARRO COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a)
1-10     In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and
1-11     other law, and notwithstanding any law granting exclusive
1-12     jurisdiction to the district court, a county court at law in
1-13     Navarro County has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court.
1-14           (b)  The district clerk serves as clerk of a statutory county
1-15     court in all criminal matters in which the statutory county court
1-16     has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court.  The county
1-17     clerk serves as clerk of the statutory county court in all other
1-18     matters.
1-19           SECTION 2. Notwithstanding Section 25.1771, Government Code,
1-20     as added by this Act, the County Court at Law of Navarro County is
1-21     created September 1, 2003, or on an earlier date determined by the
1-22     commissioners court by an order entered in its minutes following a
1-23     nonbinding referendum held in the county in which the voters
1-24     express a public opinion on the creation of the court as provided
 2-1     by Section 3 of this Act.
 2-2           SECTION 3. (a)  Before entering an order as provided by
 2-3     Section 2 of this Act to create the County Court at Law of Navarro
 2-4     County on a date earlier than September 1, 2003, the Commissioners
 2-5     Court of Navarro County shall order a nonbinding referendum to be
 2-6     held in the county on the question of whether to create a county
 2-7     court at law in the county as provided by this Act.
 2-8           (b)  The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or
 2-9     against the proposition:  "Creating a county court at law in
2-10     Navarro County."
2-11           (c)  The proposition shall be printed on the ballot under the
2-12     heading:  "Referendum Proposition."  Beneath the heading shall be
2-13     printed the following:  "This referendum is an expression of public
2-14     opinion only and has no binding effect as law."
2-15           (d)  The nonbinding referendum shall be conducted as provided
2-16     by the Election Code.
2-17           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-18     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-19     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-20     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-21     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.