SRC-VRA H.B. 3577 78(R)BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research CenterH.B. 3577 By: Smithee (Bivins) Jurisprudence 5/21/2003 Committee Report (Amended) DIGEST AND PURPOSE H.B. 3577 sets forth several provisions for the more efficient administration of justice in Randall County. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 25.1931, Government Code, as follows: (a) Provides that Randall County has one statutory county court, the County Court at Law No. 1 of Randall County. (b) Provides that a county court at law of Randall County sits in the county seat or at another location in the county as assigned by the local administrative statutory county court judge. SECTION 2. Amends Section 25.1932, Government Code, by amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding Subsections (b) and (k), as follows: (a) Provides that in addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in Randall County has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in felony cases. (b) Provides that a county court at law has terms beginning on the first Mondays of January and July of each year. (d) Requires the salary paid the judge of a county court at law to be paid out of the county treasury by the commissioners court, except as otherwise provided by law. Prohibits the county from reducing the compensation paid to the judge of a county court at law during the judge's term in office. (k) Authorizes the judge of a county court at law and the judges of the district courts in the county, notwithstanding Section 74.121(b)(1), in matters of concurrent jurisdiction, to exchange benches and courtrooms and to transfer cases between their dockets in the same manner that judges of district courts exchange benches and transfer cases under Section 24.303. SECTION 3. Provides that on September 1, 2003, the County Court at Law of Randall County is redesignated as the County Court at Law No. 1 of Randall County. SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2003. LIST OF AMENDMENTS Committee Amendment No. 2: Amend H.B. 3577 on page 1, line 24 by adding the words "to conduct arraignments, conduct pretrial hearings, and accept guilty pleas" between "cases" and "." . On page 2, lines 5 through 7 by removing the words "The county may not reduce the compensation paid to the judge of a county court at law during the judge's term in office."