82R5076 PMO-D
 
  By: Estes S.B. No. 1218
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the statutory county courts in Wise County.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 25.2511, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 25.2511.  WISE COUNTY.  (a)  Wise County has the
  following [one] statutory county courts:
               (1)  [court, the] County Court at Law No. 1 of Wise
  County; and
               (2)  County Court at Law No. 2 of Wise County.
         (b)  The County Court at Law No. 1 of Wise County sits in
  Decatur.
         (c)  The County Court at Law No. 2 of Wise County sits in
  Decatur or at another location in the county determined by the judge
  of County Court at Law No. 2 of Wise County.
         SECTION 2.  Section 25.2512(a), Government Code, as amended
  by Chapters 518 (S.B. 1491) and 746 (H.B. 66), Acts of the 72nd
  Legislature, Regular Session, 1991, is reenacted and amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section
  25.0003 and other law, and except as limited by Subsection (a-1), a
  county court at law in Wise County has the [:
               [(1)     concurrent with the county court, the probate
  jurisdiction provided by general law for county courts; and
               [(2)  concurrent] jurisdiction provided by the
  constitution and by general law for [with the] district courts
  [court in:
                     [(A)  eminent domain cases;
                     [(B)     civil cases in which the amount in
  controversy exceeds $500, but does not exceed $100,000, excluding
  interest and attorney's fees; and
                     [(C)  family law cases and proceedings].
         SECTION 3.  Section 25.2512, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subsections (a-1), (j), and (k) and amending Subsections (e)
  and (h) to read as follows:
         (a-1)  A county court at law does not have jurisdiction of:
               (1)  civil cases in which the amount in controversy
  exceeds $500,000, excluding interest and attorney's fees; or
               (2)  felony cases.
         (e)  In addition to the qualifications required by Section
  25.0014, a regular judge of a county court at law must have the
  qualifications of a district judge as required by Section 7,
  Article V, Texas Constitution. A special judge of a county court at
  law with the same qualifications as the regular judge may be
  appointed in the manner provided by law for the appointment of a
  special county judge. A special judge is entitled to the same rate
  of compensation as the regular judge.
         (h)  The laws governing the drawing, selection, service, and
  pay of jurors for county courts apply to a county court at law.
  Jurors regularly impaneled for a week by the district court may, on
  request of the judge of a county court at law, be made available and
  shall serve for the week in a county court at law  [Practice in a
  county court at law is that prescribed by law for county courts].
         (j)  The jury in all civil or criminal matters shall be
  composed of 12 members, except that in misdemeanor criminal cases
  and any other cases in which the court has concurrent jurisdiction
  with the county court the jury shall be composed of six members.
         (k)  A judge of a county court at law and a judge of a
  district court or another county court at law with concurrent
  jurisdiction may transfer cases between the courts in the same
  manner judges of district courts transfer cases under Section
  24.303.
         SECTION 4.  The changes in law made to the qualifications of
  a judge of a statutory county court in Wise County by this Act apply
  only to a judge elected or appointed on or after the effective date
  of this Act. A judge elected or appointed before the effective date
  of this Act is governed by the law as it existed immediately before
  the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect
  for that purpose.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.