AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Presently, the County Court of Glasscock County has juvenile, probate, and criminal jurisdiction, but no other civil jurisdiction. Because Glasscock County is currently within the jurisdiction of the 118th District Court, which also includes Howard County and Martin County, residents of Glasscock County must travel to one of these other counties to participate in civil cases. H.B. 616 seeks to remedy this situation by granting certain civil jurisdiction to the County Court of Glasscock County.
H.B. 616 amends Section 26.187 (Glasscock County), Government Code, and changes the court's jurisdiction to allow for concurrent jurisdiction with the district court for civil cases. Granting the court civil jurisdiction will make it easier for Glasscock County residents to resolve their civil claims while helping to alleviate the caseload on the 118th District Court.
H.B. 616 amends current law relating to the civil jurisdiction of the County Court of Glasscock County.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 26.187, Government Code, as follows:
Sec. 26.187. GLASSCOCK COUNTY. Provides that the County Court of Glasscock County has the general jurisdiction of a probate court, general criminal jurisdiction, juvenile jurisdiction as provided by Section 26.042(b) (relating to providing that a county court has juvenile jurisdiction as provided by Section 23.001), and, concurrent with the district court, the civil jurisdiction of a county court, rather than providing that the County Court of Glasscock County has the general jurisdiction of a probate court, general criminal jurisdiction, and juvenile jurisdiction as provided by Section 26.042(b), but has no other civil jurisdiction.
SECTION 2. Provides that the change in law made by this Act applies only to an action filed on or after the effective date of this Act. Provides that an action filed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the action was filed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2013.