BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 984

By: Truitt

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A municipal court, in general, has jurisdiction only within its own city limits, does not share concurrent original jurisdiction on municipal matters with other municipal courts, and is unable to merge with other municipal courts.  These circumstances may often result in multiple municipal courts, located in close proximity to each other, that do not share jurisdiction.  H.B. 984 allows contiguous municipalities to enter agreements to establish concurrent jurisdiction of certain cases for their respective municipal courts.  Those participating municipalities may save money and improve court services by establishing such agreements.

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. 984 amends the Government Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to authorize a municipality and another municipality contiguous to that municipality to enter into an agreement to establish concurrent jurisdiction for the municipal courts of either municipality in all cases in which the courts have original, concurrent, or appellate jurisdiction and in cases arising from offenses related to the seizure of cruelly treated animals or the failure to attend school.  The bill specifies that a municipal court in either municipality has original jurisdiction in such a case.   

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.