|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the creation of an appellate judicial system for the |
|
|
Ninth Court of Appeals District. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 22, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 22.2101 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 22.2101. APPELLATE JUDICIAL SYSTEM. (a) The |
|
|
commissioners court of each county in the Ninth Court of Appeals |
|
|
District, by order entered in its minutes, shall establish an |
|
|
appellate judicial system to: |
|
|
(1) assist the court of appeals for the county in the |
|
|
processing of appeals filed with the court of appeals from the |
|
|
county courts, county courts at law, probate courts, and district |
|
|
courts; |
|
|
(2) defray costs and expenses incurred by the county |
|
|
under Section 22.210; and |
|
|
(3) reimburse Jefferson County for supplemental |
|
|
salaries and annual benefits paid to the justices. |
|
|
(b) To fund the system, the commissioners court shall set a |
|
|
court fee of $5 for each civil suit filed in county court, county |
|
|
court at law, probate court, or district court in the county. |
|
|
(c) The court costs fee does not apply to a suit filed by the |
|
|
county or to a suit for delinquent taxes. |
|
|
(d) The court costs fee shall be taxed, collected, and paid |
|
|
as other court costs in a suit. The clerk of the court shall collect |
|
|
the court costs fee set under this section and pay it to the county |
|
|
officer who performs the county treasurer's functions. That |
|
|
officer shall deposit the fee in a separate appellate judicial |
|
|
system fund. The commissioners court shall administer the fund to |
|
|
establish and maintain a fund system to assist the court of appeals |
|
|
in the district. The fund may not be used for any other purpose. |
|
|
(e) The commissioners court shall monthly order the funds |
|
|
collected under this section to be forwarded to the court of appeals |
|
|
for expenditures by the court of appeals for its judicial system. |
|
|
(f) The commissioners court shall vest management of the |
|
|
system in the chief justice of the court of appeals. |
|
|
(g) The chief justice shall reimburse Jefferson County from |
|
|
the fund for supplemental salaries and annual benefits paid to the |
|
|
justices. |
|
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |