Amend HB 3474 on third reading as follows:
(1) In ARTICLE 1 of the bill, strike the SECTION of the bill amending Sections 24.384 and 24.539, Government Code.
(2) In the SECTION of the bill adding Section 52.041(b), Government Code, between "courts" and the underlined period, insert ", provided each court is located in a county with a population of 125,000 or less according to the 2020 federal decennial census".
(3) In the SECTION of the bill adding Section 52.041(c), Government Code, in the first sentence of the subsection between "court" and the underlined period, insert ", provided each court is located in a county with a population of 125,000 or less according to the 2020 federal decennial census".
(4) In ARTICLE 1 of the bill, add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the ARTICLE and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 1 accordingly:
SECTION 1.____. Subchapter C, Chapter 72, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 72.039 to read as follows:
Sec. 72.039. DISTRICT COURT CASELOAD ANALYSIS. (a) In this section:
(1) "Clearance rate" has the meaning assigned by Section 72.083.
(2) "Judicial officer" means a district judge or an associate judge, master, magistrate, or referee who conducts proceedings for district courts.
(b) The office at least once every two years shall conduct a district court caseload analysis. The analysis must concentrate on the weighted caseload of the district courts in the 30 most populous counties in this state, considering the nature and complexity of cases heard by each court, and include the following information, disaggregated by county:
(1) the number of cases filed in each district court with jurisdiction in the county in each of the preceding five state fiscal years;
(2) the clearance rate for each district court with jurisdiction in the county in each of the preceding five state fiscal years;
(3) the number of estimated full-time equivalent judicial officers serving district courts in the county in the preceding state fiscal year;
(4) the number of full-time equivalent judicial officers needed to serve the district courts in the county based on the most recent weighted caseload analysis;
(5) the calendar year for creation of the most recently created district court in the county; and
(6) any other relevant information identified by the director.
(c) Not later than October 1 of each even-numbered year, the office shall report the results of the analysis conducted under Subsection (b) to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and each member of the legislature.