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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the creation of additional county criminal courts at |
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law in El Paso County. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 25.0731(a), Government Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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(a) El Paso County has the following statutory county |
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courts: |
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(1) County Court at Law No. 1 of El Paso County, Texas; |
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(2) County Court at Law No. 2 of El Paso County, Texas; |
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(3) County Court at Law No. 3 of El Paso County, Texas; |
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(4) County Court at Law No. 4 of El Paso County, Texas; |
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(5) County Court at Law No. 5 of El Paso County, Texas; |
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(6) County Court at Law No. 6 of El Paso County, Texas; |
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(7) County Court at Law No. 7 of El Paso County, Texas; |
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(8) County Criminal Court at Law No. 1 of El Paso |
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County, Texas; [and] |
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(9) County Criminal Court at Law No. 2 of El Paso |
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County, Texas; |
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(10) County Criminal Court at Law No. 3 of El Paso |
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County, Texas; and |
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(11) County Criminal Court at Law No. 4 of El Paso |
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County, Texas. |
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SECTION 2. Sections 25.0732(y) and (z), Government Code, |
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are amended to read as follows: |
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(y) The El Paso Council of Judges shall order the transfer |
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of criminal misdemeanor cases to the county criminal courts at law |
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[County Criminal Courts No. 1 and No. 2] from time to time to |
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equalize the criminal misdemeanor dockets of the statutory county |
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courts for the efficient operation of the court system and the |
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effective administration of justice. In determining the court to |
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which a case is transferred, the council shall give preference to a |
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county criminal court at law that is required to give preference to |
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certain cases under Subsection (z). |
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(z) The County Criminal Courts No. 1, [and] No. 2, No. 3, and |
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No. 4 have the criminal jurisdiction provided by this section and |
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other law for statutory county courts in El Paso County and |
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appellate jurisdiction in appeals of criminal cases from justice |
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courts and municipal courts in the county as provided by Article |
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45.042, Code of Criminal Procedure. The County Criminal Court No. 4 |
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shall give preference to cases prosecuted under: |
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(1) Section 22.01, Penal Code, in which the victim is a |
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person whose relationship to or association with the defendant is |
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described under Chapter 71, Family Code; and |
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(2) Section 25.07, Penal Code. |
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SECTION 3. The County Criminal Court at Law No. 3 of El Paso |
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County, Texas, and the County Criminal Court at Law No. 4 of El Paso |
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County, Texas, are created September 1, 2007. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |