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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the creation of the 2nd Multicounty Court at Law in Bee, |
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Live Oak, and McMullen Counties. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 25, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Sections 25.2703 and 25.2704 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 25.2703. 2ND MULTICOUNTY COURT AT LAW (BEE, LIVE OAK, |
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AND MCMULLEN COUNTIES). Bee, Live Oak, and McMullen Counties have a |
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multicounty statutory county court composed of those counties, the |
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2nd Multicounty Court at Law. |
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Sec. 25.2704. 2ND MULTICOUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a) |
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In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and |
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other law, the 2nd Multicounty Court at Law has concurrent |
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jurisdiction with the district courts, except in civil cases in |
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which the matter in controversy exceeds the amount provided by |
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Section 25.0003(c)(1). |
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(b) Bee County is the administrative county for the 2nd |
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Multicounty Court at Law. |
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(c) Bee, Live Oak, and McMullen Counties shall enter into an |
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interlocal agreement allocating the financial obligations of each |
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county in relation to the county court at law and the budget, |
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powers, and duties of the court and salaries of court personnel. |
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(d) If the counties served by the county court at law are |
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unable to reach an agreement under Subsection (c) before the first |
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day of the fiscal year for a county served by the court, each county |
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shall pay to the court's administrative county a share of the |
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court's administrative and operational costs for the fiscal year |
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based on the proportion of the court's caseload originating in the |
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county during the preceding year. A county is entitled to |
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compensation from the state under Section 25.0015 in proportion to |
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the amount paid under this subsection. |
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(e) The district clerk serves as clerk of the county court |
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at law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district |
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court, and the county clerk serves as clerk of the county court at |
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law in all other cases. |
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(f) Sections 25.0006, 25.0008, and 74.054(b) do not apply to |
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the county court at law. |
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(g) Notwithstanding Section 74.121(b)(1), in matters of |
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concurrent jurisdiction, the judge of the 2nd Multicounty Court at |
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Law and the judges of the district courts in Bee, Live Oak, and |
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McMullen Counties may exchange benches and courtrooms and may |
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transfer cases between their dockets in the same manner that judges |
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of district courts exchange benches and courtrooms and transfer |
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cases under Section 24.003. |
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SECTION 2. The 2nd Multicounty Court at Law is created |
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September 1, 2023. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |