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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the administration of multicounty statutory county |
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courts and to the 1st Multicounty Court at Law. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 25, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 25.2607 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 25.2607. DESIGNATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE COUNTY FOR |
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MULTICOUNTY STATUTORY COUNTY COURTS. (a) If a statute that |
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establishes a multicounty statutory county court does not designate |
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one of the counties that compose the multicounty statutory county |
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court as the administrative county for that court, the county with |
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the greatest population of the counties composing the court at the |
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time the court is established is the administrative county for that |
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court. |
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(b) The commissioners courts of the counties that compose a |
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multicounty statutory county court may enter into an agreement to |
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provide support for the court. The administrative county for the |
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court may receive contributions from the other counties composing |
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the court to pay the operating expenses of the court. |
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(c) Except for money provided by state appropriations or |
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under an agreement under Subsection (b), the administrative county |
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shall pay out of the county's general fund the salaries, |
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compensation, and expenses incurred in operating the multicounty |
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statutory county court. |
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(d) Notwithstanding Section 25.0015, the state shall |
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annually compensate the administrative county of a multicounty |
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statutory county court in an amount equal to 100 percent of the |
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state salary of a district court judge in the county for the salary |
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of the judge of the multicounty statutory county court. |
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(e) The court fees and costs collected by the clerk of a |
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multicounty statutory county court shall be deposited in the |
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appropriate county fund as provided by law. |
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SECTION 2. Section 25.2701, Government Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 25.2701. 1ST MULTICOUNTY COURT AT LAW (FISHER[,
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MITCHELL,] AND NOLAN COUNTIES). Fisher[, Mitchell,] and Nolan |
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Counties have a multicounty statutory county court composed of |
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those counties, the 1st Multicounty Court at Law. |
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SECTION 3. Section 25.2702, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows: |
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(c-1) Nolan County is the administrative county for the 1st |
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Multicounty Court at Law. |
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SECTION 4. Section 25.2702(g), Government Code, is |
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repealed. |
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SECTION 5. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this |
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section, this Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of |
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two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by |
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Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not |
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receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes |
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effect September 1, 2015. |
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(b) Section 2 of this Act, amending Section 25.2701, |
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Government Code, takes effect January 1, 2019. |