H.B. 988 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 988 By: Brown, Fred Judicial Affairs Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Brazos County is the only county in Texas which lies within three different court of appeals districts. Cases originating in Brazos County may be sent to either the 1st or 14th Court of Appeals in Houston or to the 10th Court of Appeals in Waco. Currently, the dockets in Houston are far more crowded than that of Waco. Brazos County cases assigned to Houston courts of appeals are often transferred to other courts, some as far away as El Paso. H.B. 988 would remove Brazos County from the 1st and 14th Court of Appeals districts, and assign all cases originating in Brazos County to the 10th Court of Appeals. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.B. 988 amends the Government Code to remove Brazos County from the list of counties comprising the First and the Fourteenth Court of Appeals Districts. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2003.