By:  Casteel                                                      H.B. No. 3081



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to facilities outside of a county seat.                              
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 292.002 (a), Local Government Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 292.002  FACILITIES OUTSIDE COUNTY SEAT.  (a)  The 
commissioners court of a county may provide an office building or a 
jail facility at a location in the county outside the county seat in 
the same manner that is applicable to such a building or facility at 
the county seat.  The commissioners court may provide for the 
building or facility through the issuance of bonds as provided by 
Subtitles A, C, and D, Title 9, Government Code, or through the 
issuance of other evidences of indebtedness in the same manner as 
bonds or evidences of indebtedness applicable to a courthouse or 
jail at the county seat.  The commissioners court may provide office 
space in the building or facility for any county or precinct office 
except a court required by law to sit at the county seat.  However, 
except as provided by subsection (b), a county officer who is 
provided space in the building or facility shall maintain an office 
at the county seat and shall keep the original records of office at 
that office.
	(b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the [The] 
commissioners court may authorize places located in the county but 
outside the municipality designated as the county seat as auxiliary 
courts for the holding of court proceedings in any courts including 
district courts and may designate those places as auxiliary county 
seats for this purpose.  The records of any court sitting in an 
auxiliary county seat, including the records of the clerk of the 
court, may be kept in the auxiliary county seat.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this 
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 
Act takes effect September 1, 2003.