| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the creation of an additional county court at law in San |
|
|
Patricio County and the operation of the county courts at law in |
|
|
that county. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Effective January 1, 2023, Section 25.2071(a), |
|
|
Government Code, is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) San Patricio County has the following [one] statutory |
|
|
county courts: |
|
|
(1) [court,] the County Court at Law of San Patricio |
|
|
County; and |
|
|
(2) the County Court at Law No. 2 of San Patricio |
|
|
County. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 25.2072, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsections (a), (d), and (m) and adding Subsections (g-1) |
|
|
and (g-2) to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section |
|
|
25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in San Patricio County |
|
|
has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court except that a |
|
|
county court at law does not have jurisdiction of: |
|
|
(1) felony criminal matters; and |
|
|
(2) civil cases in which the matter in controversy |
|
|
exceeds the maximum amount provided by Section 25.0003 [in matters |
|
|
involving the juvenile and child welfare law of this state]. |
|
|
(d) [The judge of a county court at law shall be paid an |
|
|
annual salary in an amount of not less than $43,000.] The judge of a |
|
|
county court at law is entitled to receive travel and necessary |
|
|
office expenses, including administrative and clerical assistance. |
|
|
(g-1) The county clerk serves as clerk of a county court at |
|
|
law except in family law cases. In family law cases, including |
|
|
juvenile and child welfare cases, the district clerk serves as |
|
|
clerk of a county court at law. The district clerk shall establish |
|
|
a separate family law docket for each county court at law. |
|
|
(g-2) The commissioners court shall provide the deputy |
|
|
clerks, bailiffs, and other personnel necessary to operate the |
|
|
county courts at law. |
|
|
(m) The judge of the county court and the judges [judge] of |
|
|
the [a] county courts [court] at law may agree on a plan governing |
|
|
the filing, numbering, and docketing of cases within the concurrent |
|
|
jurisdiction of their courts and the assignment of those cases for |
|
|
trial. The plan may provide for the centralized institution and |
|
|
filing of all such cases with one court, clerk, or coordinator |
|
|
designated by the plan and for the systemized assignment of those |
|
|
cases to the courts participating in the plan, and the provisions of |
|
|
the plan for the centralized filing and assignment of cases shall |
|
|
control notwithstanding any other provisions of this section. If |
|
|
the judges of the county court and the county courts [court] at law |
|
|
are unable to agree on a filing, docketing, and assignment of cases |
|
|
plan, a board of judges composed of the district judges and the |
|
|
county court at law judges for San Patricio County [the presiding |
|
|
judge of the 36th Judicial District] shall design a plan for the |
|
|
[both] courts. |
|
|
SECTION 3. The County Court at Law No. 2 of San Patricio |
|
|
County is created January 1, 2023. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |