|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to the creation of an additional judicial district |
|
composed of Harris County and the preference given by the district |
|
court to domestic violence cases. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 24, Government Code, is |
|
amended by adding Section 24.60020 to read as follows: |
|
Sec. 24.60020. 476TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (HARRIS COUNTY). (a) |
|
The 476th Judicial District is composed of Harris County. |
|
(b) Subject to any jurisdictional limitations, the 476th |
|
District Court shall give preference to: |
|
(1) domestic violence cases, including cases |
|
involving: |
|
(A) dating violence, as defined by Section |
|
71.0021, Family Code; |
|
(B) family violence, as defined by Section |
|
71.004, Family Code; |
|
(C) abuse or neglect, as defined by Section |
|
261.001, Family Code, of a child; or |
|
(D) elder abuse; |
|
(2) any matter in which pleadings are filed |
|
concurrently with an application for a protective order under Title |
|
4, Family Code, that involves both parties; |
|
(3) any matter involving minor children if one parent |
|
is alleged to have caused the death of another parent and there is a |
|
history of domestic violence in the parents' relationship; and |
|
(4) cases in which: |
|
(A) a court has made an affirmative finding of |
|
family violence involving both parties; or |
|
(B) a protective order has been issued under |
|
Title 4, Family Code, involving both parties. |
|
(c) The 476th District Court shall: |
|
(1) provide timely and efficient access to emergency |
|
protective orders and other court remedies for persons the court |
|
determines are victims of domestic violence; |
|
(2) integrate victims' services for persons the court |
|
determines are victims of domestic violence who have a case before |
|
the court; and |
|
(3) promote an informed and consistent court response |
|
to domestic violence cases to lessen the number of misdemeanors, |
|
felonies, and fatalities related to domestic violence in Harris |
|
County. |
|
(d) The clerk for the 476th District Court shall create a |
|
form to transfer a domestic violence case that the 476th District |
|
Court is required to give preference to under this section to the |
|
476th District Court. |
|
SECTION 2. The 476th Judicial District is created on the |
|
effective date of this Act. |
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |