| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
| |
|
|
relating to the 1st Multicounty Court at Law. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 25.2702, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (d-1) and (d-2) to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(d) The judge of the county court at law shall appoint an |
|
|
official court reporter. The judge may appoint a court |
|
|
administrator to aid the judge in the performance of the judge's |
|
|
duties. The official court reporter and the court administrator of |
|
|
the county court at law are entitled to receive a salary set by the |
|
|
commissioners courts in the counties the reporter or administrator |
|
|
serves to be paid out of the county treasuries, either by salary or |
|
|
by contract as set by the commissioners courts [the same salary and
|
|
|
to be paid in the same manner as the official court reporter and
|
|
|
court administrator, respectively, of the district court in the
|
|
|
administrative county for the court]. The clerk of the court shall |
|
|
tax as costs, in each civil, criminal, and probate case in which a |
|
|
record of any part of the evidence in the case is made by the |
|
|
reporter, a stenographer's fee of $25. The fee shall be paid in the |
|
|
same manner as other costs in the case. The clerk collects the fee |
|
|
and pays it into the general funds of the counties. |
|
|
(d-1) Fisher, Mitchell, and Nolan Counties shall enter into |
|
|
an interlocal agreement allocating the financial obligations of |
|
|
each county in relation to the county court at law and the budget, |
|
|
powers, and duties of the court and salaries of court personnel. |
|
|
(d-2) If the counties served by the county court at law are |
|
|
unable to reach an agreement under Subsection (d-1) before the |
|
|
first day of the fiscal year for a county served by the court, each |
|
|
county shall pay to the court's administrative county a share of the |
|
|
court's administrative and operational costs for the fiscal year |
|
|
based on the proportion of the court's caseload originating in the |
|
|
county during the preceding year. A county is entitled to |
|
|
compensation from the state under Section 25.0015 in proportion to |
|
|
the amount paid under this subsection. |
|
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
|
|
|
|
|
* * * * * |