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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the jurisdiction and operation of the county courts at |
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law in McLennan County. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 25.1572(a), (d), and (e), Government |
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Code, are amended to 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 and except as limited by Subsection (b), a |
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county court at law in McLennan County has: |
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(1) concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts |
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in state jail, third degree, and second degree felony cases and |
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family law cases on assignment from a district judge presiding in |
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McLennan County and acceptance of the assignment by the judge of the |
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county court at law to: |
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(A) conduct arraignments; |
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(B) conduct pretrial hearings; |
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(C) accept guilty pleas and conduct sentencing; |
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(D) conduct jury trials and nonjury trials; |
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(E) conduct probation revocation hearings; |
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(F) conduct post-trial proceedings; and |
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(G) conduct family law cases and proceedings; and |
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(2) jurisdiction in: |
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(A) Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases; |
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(B) probate proceedings; |
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(C) eminent domain; |
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(D) appeals from the justice and municipal |
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courts; and |
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(E) disputes ancillary to probate, eminent |
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domain, condemnation, or landlord and tenant matters relating to |
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the adjudication and determination of land titles and trusts, |
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whether testamentary, inter vivos, constructive, resulting, or any |
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other class or type of trust, regardless of the amount in |
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controversy or the remedy sought [to conduct arraignments, conduct |
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pretrial hearings, accept guilty pleas, and conduct probation |
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revocation hearings in felony cases]. |
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(d) A judge of a county court at law shall be paid a total |
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[an] annual [base] salary set by the commissioners court in an |
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amount not less than $1,000 less than the annual [base] salary |
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received by [the state pays to] a district judge [as set by the |
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General Appropriations Act in accordance with Section 659.012] with |
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equivalent years of service as a [the] judge, as provided under |
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Section 25.0005, to be paid out of the county treasury by the |
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commissioners court. [A county court at law judge's and a district |
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judge's annual base salaries do not include contributions and |
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supplements paid by the county.] |
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(e) The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at |
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law in cases instituted in the district courts in which the county |
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courts at law have [matters of] concurrent jurisdiction with the |
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district court. The county clerk serves as the clerk of a county |
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court at law in all other matters. Each clerk shall establish a |
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separate docket for a county court at law. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |