By: Rodríguez S.B. No. 2000
 
 
 
   
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to jurisdiction and court administration of the El Paso
  Criminal Law Magistrate Court.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 54.732, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 54.732.  CREATION. The El Paso Criminal Law Magistrate
  Court is a court having the jurisdiction provided by this
  subchapter over offenses allegedly committed in El Paso County
  [except for that portion of the county in the corporate limits of
  Vinton, Texas].
         SECTION 2.  Section 54.733, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (j) to read as follows:
         (j)  The criminal law magistrate court has concurrent
  criminal jurisdiction with the justice courts located in El Paso
  County.
         SECTION 3.  Section 54.735, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 54.735.  POWERS AND DUTIES. (a) The criminal law
  magistrate court or a judge of the criminal law magistrate court may
  issue writs of injunction and all other writs necessary for the
  enforcement of the jurisdiction of the court and may issue
  misdemeanor writs of habeas corpus in cases in which the offense
  charged is within the jurisdiction of the court or of any other
  court of inferior jurisdiction in the county. The court and the
  judge may punish for contempt as provided by law for district
  courts. A judge of the criminal law magistrate court has all other
  powers, duties, immunities, and privileges provided by law for:
               (1)  justices of the peace when acting in a Class C
  misdemeanor case;
               (2)  county court judges when acting in a Class A or
  Class B misdemeanor case; and
               (3)  [for] district court judges when acting in a
  felony case.
         (b)  A judge of the criminal law magistrate court may hold an
  indigency hearing and a capias pro fine hearing. When acting as the
  judge who issued the capias pro fine, a judge of the criminal law
  magistrate court may make all findings of fact and law required of
  the judge who issued the capias pro fine. In conducting a hearing
  under this subsection, the judge of the criminal law magistrate
  court is empowered to make all findings of fact and to issue all
  orders necessary to properly dispose of the capias pro fine or
  indigency hearing in accordance with the provisions of the Code of
  Criminal Procedure applicable to a misdemeanor or felony case of
  the same type and level.
         SECTION 4.  Section 54.736(b), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b)  The council of judges shall ensure that the criminal law
  magistrate court gives preference to magistrate duties, as those
  duties apply to the county jail inmate population first and then to
  newly detained individuals, until the commissioners court provides
  funds for more than one judge to sit on the criminal law magistrate
  court.
         SECTION 5.  Section 54.737(c), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (c)  The rules must provide that[:
               [(1) a criminal law magistrate judge may not, on a
  regular basis, hold court or perform magistrate duties after 7 p.m.
  or before 7 a.m.; and
               [(2)] a criminal law magistrate judge may only release
  a defendant under Article 17.031, Code of Criminal Procedure, under
  guidelines established by the council of judges.
         SECTION 6.  Sections 54.738(a) and (c), Government Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) or local
  administrative rules, the local administrative judge or a judge of
  the criminal law magistrate court may transfer between courts a
  case that is pending in the court of any magistrate in the criminal
  law magistrate court's jurisdiction if the case is:
               (1)  an [any] unindicted felony case;
               (2)  a[,] Class A [misdemeanor case,] or Class B
  misdemeanor case if an information has not been filed; or
               (3)  a Class C misdemeanor [and if the] case [is pending
  in the court of any magistrate in the criminal law magistrate
  court's jurisdiction].
         (c)  Except as provided by Subsection (d) or local
  administrative rules, the local administrative judge may assign a
  judge on the council of judges, a judge of the criminal law
  magistrate court, a retired judge, or any other magistrate to act as
  presiding judge in a case that is pending in the court of any
  magistrate in the criminal law magistrate court's jurisdiction if
  the case is:
               (1)  an [any] unindicted felony case;
               (2)  a[,] Class A [misdemeanor case,] or Class B
  misdemeanor case if an information has not been filed; or
               (3)  a Class C misdemeanor [and if the] case [is pending
  in the court of any magistrate in the criminal law magistrate
  court's jurisdiction].
         SECTION 7.  Section 54.739(d), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (d)  A case assigned under this subchapter to the criminal
  law magistrate court from a district court, [or] a county court at
  law, or a justice court remains on the docket of the assigning court
  and in the assigning court's jurisdiction.
         SECTION 8.  Section 54.741, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 54.741.  FORFEITURES. Bail bonds and personal bonds
  may be forfeited by the criminal law magistrate court in the manner
  provided by Chapter 22, Code of Criminal Procedure, and those
  forfeitures shall be filed with:
               (1)  the district clerk if associated with a felony
  case;
               (2)  [, except in cases in which] the county clerk if
  associated with a Class A or Class B misdemeanor case; or
               (3)  the same justice court clerk associated with the
  Class C misdemeanor case in which the bond was originally filed [is
  the clerk under this subchapter].
         SECTION 9.  Section 54.742, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
         (c)  When a justice clerk is the clerk under this subchapter,
  the justice clerk shall charge the same court costs for cases filed
  in, transferred to, or assigned to the criminal law magistrate
  court that are charged in the justice courts.
         SECTION 10.  Section 54.744, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 54.744.  JUDGES ON EL PASO COUNCIL OF JUDGES. Unless
  the local rules of administration provide otherwise, the judges on
  the El Paso Council of Judges and the judges on the criminal law
  magistrate court may sit and act for any magistrate in El Paso
  County on any unindicted felony or Class A or B misdemeanor case if
  an information has not been filed or any Class C misdemeanor case
  filed in a justice court.
         SECTION 11.  Section 54.745(a), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  As a condition for a defendant to enter any pretrial
  diversion program, including a behavioral modification program, a
  health care program, a specialty court program, or the functional
  equivalent that may be operated in El Paso County by El Paso County,
  Emergence Health Network, the City of El Paso, the West Texas
  Regional Adult Probation Department, a community partner approved
  by the council of judges, or a county or district attorney of El
  Paso County, a defendant must file in the court in which the charges
  are pending a sworn waiver of speedy trial motion requesting the
  court to approve without a hearing defendant's waiver of his speedy
  trial rights under the constitution and other law. If the court
  approves the waiver, the defendant is eligible for consideration
  for acceptance into a pretrial diversion program or equivalent
  program.
         SECTION 12.  Sections 54.746(d) and (e), Government Code,
  are amended to read as follows:
         (d)  A judge of a county court at law in El Paso County shall
  exercise jurisdiction granted by Subsection (a) over felony
  indictments and felony informations and justice court cases
  [information] only as a judge presiding for the court in which the
  felony or Class C misdemeanor is pending and only if the El Paso
  Council of Judges has so provided in the local administrative rules
  by a unanimous vote. The exercise of this jurisdiction outside El
  Paso County is as provided by Chapter 74 and other law.
         (e)  A judge of a district court in El Paso County shall
  exercise jurisdiction granted by Subsection (a) over misdemeanor
  information and justice court cases only as a judge presiding for
  the court in which the misdemeanor is pending and only if the
  council of judges has so provided in the local administrative rules
  by a unanimous vote. The exercise of this jurisdiction outside El
  Paso County is as provided by the Court Administration Act (Chapter
  74) and other law.
         SECTION 13.  Section 54.750, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
         (d)  When conducting a capias pro fine hearing for any court,
  the criminal law magistrate court acts in the same capacity and with
  the same authority as the judge who issued the capias pro fine.
         SECTION 14.  Sections 54.753(a) and (b), Government Code,
  are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The district clerk serves as clerk of the criminal law
  magistrate court, except that:
               (1)  after a Class A or Class B misdemeanor information
  is filed in the county court at law and assigned to the criminal law
  magistrate court, the county clerk serves as clerk for that
  misdemeanor case; and
               (2)  after a Class C misdemeanor is filed in a justice
  court and assigned to the criminal law magistrate court, the
  originating justice court clerk serves as clerk for that
  misdemeanor case.
         (b)  The district clerk shall establish a docket and keep the
  minutes for the cases filed in or transferred to the criminal law
  magistrate court. The district clerk shall perform any other duties
  that local administrative rules require in connection with the
  implementation of this subchapter. The local administrative judge
  shall ensure that the duties required under this subsection are
  performed. To facilitate the duties associated with serving as the
  clerk of the criminal law magistrate court, the district clerk and
  the deputies of the district clerk may serve as deputy justice
  clerks and deputy county clerks at the discretion of the district
  clerk.
         SECTION 15.  Section 54.759, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 54.759.  LOCATION OF COURT. (a) The criminal law
  magistrate court may be held at one or more locations [the location
  that is] provided by the local administrative rules or ordered by
  the local administrative judge.
         (b)  A defendant may be brought before the court in person or
  by means of an electronic broadcast system through which an image of
  the defendant is presented to the court. For purposes of this
  subsection, "electronic broadcast system" means a two-way
  electronic communication of image and sound between the defendant
  and the court.
         SECTION 16.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.