79R11062 QS-D

By:  Naishtat                                                     H.B. No. 3519



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the appointment of temporary justices of the peace in 
certain counties.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 27.055, Government Code, is amended by 
amending Subsections (c), (d), and (e) and adding Subsection (f) to 
read as follows:
	(c)  In Subsections [Subsection] (b) and (f), "qualified 
person" means a person who has served as a justice of the peace for 
not less than 4 1/2 years and who has not been convicted of a 
criminal offense that involves moral turpitude.
	(d)  A person appointed under Subsection (b) or (f) may 
reside in a county other than the county in which the person is 
appointed as a temporary justice of the peace.
	(e)  The county judge may appoint any qualified voter under 
Section 11.002, Election Code, to serve as a temporary justice of 
the peace if the judge or the judge's designee, as applicable, 
cannot find a qualified person who agrees to serve under Subsection 
(b) or (f).
	(f)  In a county that has a population of more than 800,000 
and that has not more than five justices of the peace, the county 
judge or the judge's designee may appoint a qualified person to 
serve as a temporary justice of the peace to hold court when 
necessary to dispose of accumulated business in the precinct.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.