BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1702

By: Farrar

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Courts are authorized to appoint a court coordinator who serves at the pleasure of the appointing judge and are also authorized to appoint appropriate additional staff and support personnel according to the needs in each county. Under current law, in counties that have civil service commissions, a judge may only dismiss staff or support personnel for cause. Interested parties assert that this limitation can cause a problem when a newly elected judge must work with his or her predecessor's staff or support personnel. H.B. 1702 seeks to give a judge the same discretion to dismiss staff and support personnel and to determine the compensation of staff and support personnel that is granted to the judge with respect to a court coordinator.

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. 1702 amends the Government Code to establish that the staff and support personnel appointed by the courts serve at the pleasure of the judge who appointed the staff or personnel. The bill adds such staff and support personnel to the persons for whom the judges are required to determine reasonable compensation, subject to approval of the commissioners court.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.