By: Wentworth S.B. No. 821

(In the Senate - Filed February 22, 2007; March 7, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence; March 29, 2007, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; March 29, 2007, sent to printer.)

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the use of certain excess contributions to the judicial fund that are remitted to certain counties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subsection (b), Section 25.00213, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) Money in a contributions fund created under this section may be used only for court-related purposes for the support of the statutory probate courts in the county, including for the payment of the compensation of a statutory probate court associate judge in accordance with Section 54.605.

SECTION 2. Section 54.605, Government Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), the [The] compensation of the associate judge shall be paid by the county from the county general fund. The compensation must be paid in the same manner that the appointing judge's salary is paid.

(c) On the recommendation of the statutory probate court judges in the county and subject to the approval of the county commissioners court, the county may pay all or part of the compensation of the associate judge from the excess contributions remitted to the county under Section 25.00212 and deposited in the contributions fund created under Section 25.00213.

SECTION 3. 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, 2007.

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