Bill Text: TX HB1889 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the creation of municipal courts of record in the city of Mesquite.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-05-28 - Effective on 1/1/12 [HB1889 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HB1889-Enrolled.html
| H.B. No. 1889 | ||
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| relating to the creation of municipal courts of record in the city | ||
| of Mesquite. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 30, Government Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subchapter YY to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER YY. MESQUITE | ||
| Sec. 30.01891. APPLICATION; DEFINITIONS. (a) This | ||
| subchapter applies to the city of Mesquite. | ||
| (b) In this subchapter: | ||
| (1) "Appellate courts" means the county courts at law | ||
| of Dallas County that have criminal appellate jurisdiction. | ||
| (2) "Municipal court administrator" means the clerk of | ||
| the municipal courts of record. | ||
| Sec. 30.01892. JUDGE. Sections 30.00007(b)(1), (2), (3), | ||
| and (5) do not apply to this subchapter. | ||
| Sec. 30.01893. COURT RULES. The presiding judge shall | ||
| adopt rules not inconsistent with this subchapter or other law for | ||
| the municipal courts of record to provide efficiency, uniformity, | ||
| and fairness in the conduct of the business of the courts. The | ||
| rules may: | ||
| (1) address courtroom decorum and attire; | ||
| (2) address court protocol; | ||
| (3) govern the hearing of pleas, motions for | ||
| continuance, motions to withdraw and for substitution, and pretrial | ||
| motions; | ||
| (4) establish procedures related to a defendant's | ||
| failure to appear; | ||
| (5) establish procedures related to a defendant's | ||
| indigency or inability to pay fines; and | ||
| (6) address warrant procedures. | ||
| Sec. 30.01894. MUNICIPAL COURT ADMINISTRATOR; OTHER | ||
| PERSONNEL. (a) The city manager shall appoint a municipal court | ||
| administrator to serve as the clerk of the municipal courts of | ||
| record. | ||
| (b) The municipal court administrator shall: | ||
| (1) perform, as applicable, the duties prescribed by | ||
| law for the county clerk of a county court at law; | ||
| (2) maintain central docket records for all cases | ||
| filed in the municipal courts of record; | ||
| (3) maintain an index of all municipal courts of | ||
| record judgments in the same manner as county clerks are required by | ||
| law to prepare for criminal cases arising in county courts; and | ||
| (4) request the jurors needed for cases that are set | ||
| for trial by jury. | ||
| (c) The municipal court administrator may hire, direct, | ||
| supervise, and remove personnel authorized in the city's annual | ||
| budget for the clerk's office in accordance with the city's general | ||
| government policies and procedures manual and subject to approval | ||
| by the city manager. | ||
| (d) Sections 30.00009(c) and (d) do not apply to this | ||
| subchapter. | ||
| Sec. 30.01895. COURT REPORTER. The municipal court | ||
| administrator shall appoint the court reporter under Section | ||
| 30.00010. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect January 1, 2012. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.B. No. 1889 was passed by the House on April | ||
| 7, 2011, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 0, 1 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.B. No. 1889 was passed by the Senate on May | ||
| 12, 2011, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0 | ||
| . | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: _____________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| _____________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
