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BILL ANALYSIS |
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By: Gonzales |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Currently, Hidalgo County has six county courts at law. Hidalgo County's population in 2008
was over 700,000, an increase of nearly 28 percent since 2000. In the same year, the Hidalgo
county clerk reported more than 3,500 civil cases and more than 12,000 criminal cases filed in
the courts at law. So far, in 2009 there have been 300 civil cases and close to 3,000 criminal
cases filed in the courts at law. The rapid population growth and high case load has created a
need for additional county courts.
C.S.H.B. 4793 creates two additional statutory county courts at law in Hidalgo County, County
Court at Law No. 7 and Count y Court at Law No. 8.
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
C.S.H.B. 4793 amends the Government Code to create two additional statutory county courts at
law in Hidalgo County to be designated the County Court at Law No. 7 of Hidalgo County and
the County Court at Law No. 8 of Hidalgo County. The bill provides that the County Court at
Law No. 7 is created on the effective date of the bill and the County Court at Law No. 8 is
created on September 1, 2012.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2011.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
C.S.H.B. 4793 differs from the original by providing that effective date of the act is September 1, 2011 rather than January 1, 2011 as in the original. C.S.H.B. 4793 also differs from the original by providing that the County Court at Law No. 8 is created on September 1, 2012, rather than on January 1, 2011, as in the original.