BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1925

By: Gutierrez

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

H.B. 1488, 65th Legislature, Regular Session, 1977, created a court administrator position for county courts at law. This program was modeled after the district court systems of urban counties and included a compensation cap not to exceed 70 percent of the salary paid by the county to judges.  Subsequent legislation impacting district court administrators has resulted in the removal of all compensation caps for district court administrators.  Currently, there are three sections under Chapter 75, Government Code, that address county court administrators and their pay.  Only one of the identified sections retains the compensation cap put in place over 30 years ago. 

H.B. 1925 removes the cap placed on the salaries of court administrators in certain counties, giving county commissioners courts the flexibility to retain qualified and experienced individuals in that position.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 1925 amends the Government Code to remove language capping the salary of a court administrator of a court administrator system established in a county that has more than one county criminal court or more than one county court at law having both criminal and civil jurisdiction at 70 percent of the salary paid by the county to the judges.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2009.