C.S.H.B. 2083 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


C.S.H.B. 2083
By:  Campbell
Urban Affairs
Committee Report (Substituted)


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Chapter 30 of the Government Code is entitled Municipal Courts of Record.
Subchapter A, to be amended by C.S.H.B. 2083, is entitled General Law for
Municipalities of Record and applies to all municipal courts of record in
the state. 

The law in the past regarding courts of record required the judge to be an
attorney or to have been a judge for five years in this state.  When the
laws regarding Municipal Courts of Record changed four years ago the five
year requirement was omitted. 

The county court-at-law is a higher court than a municipal court, and it
requires that a judge be either an attorney, or have served as a judge in
this state for four years. 

C.S.H.B. 2083 changes the requirements for a Municipal Court judge to
reflect the requirements for a county court-at-law judge. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority
to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 30.0006, Local Government Code, to allow for a
judge who is not an attorney to serve as a municipal court judge if he has
served as a judge for a court in Texas for four or more years. 

SECTION 2.  Effective Date.

EFFECTIVE DATE:  September 1, 2003.

COMPARISON OF SUBSTITUTE TO ORIGINAL
C.S.H.B. 2083 modifies the original only to the extent of drafting style
and clarity; there are no substantive changes.