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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the 1st Multicounty County Court at Law. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 25.2702, Government Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (a), (d), and (h) and adding Subsection (g) to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section |
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25.0003 and other law, the 1st Multicounty Court at Law has |
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concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in: |
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(1) family law cases and proceedings; and |
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(2) felony criminal cases. |
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(d) The judge of the county court at law shall appoint an |
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official court reporter. The judge may appoint a court |
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administrator to aid the judge in the performance of the judge's |
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duties. The [An] official court reporter and the court |
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administrator of the county court at law are [is] entitled to |
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receive the same salary and to be paid in the same manner as the |
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official court reporter and court administrator, respectively, of |
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the district court in the administrative county for the court [a
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salary set by the commissioners courts in the counties the reporter
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serves to be paid out of the county treasuries, either by salary or
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by contract as set by the commissioners courts]. The clerk of the |
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court shall tax as costs, in each civil, criminal, and probate case |
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in which a record of any part of the evidence in the case is made by |
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the reporter, a stenographer's fee of $25. The fee shall be paid in |
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the same manner as other costs in the case. The clerk collects the |
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fee and pays it into the general funds of the counties. |
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(g) The judge of the county court at law is entitled to |
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travel expenses and necessary office expenses as authorized by the |
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commissioners court of the administrative county. |
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(h) Notwithstanding Section 74.121(b)(1), [in matters of
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concurrent jurisdiction,] the judge of the 1st Multicounty Court at |
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Law and the judges of the district courts in Fisher, Mitchell, and |
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Nolan Counties may exchange benches and courtrooms and may transfer |
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cases between their dockets in the same manner that judges of |
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district courts exchange benches and transfer cases under Section |
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24.003. |
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SECTION 2. Section 3.07(b), Chapter 1182 (S.B. 1139), Acts |
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of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, which amends |
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Section 25.2701, Government Code, is repealed. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |