Bill Text: TX HB4632 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relating to the creation of an additional county court at law in McLennan County and the operation of the county courts at law in that county.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-04-14 - Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence [HB4632 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-HB4632-Introduced.html

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87R11176 ANG-F
By: Anderson H.B. No. 4632

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the creation of an additional county court at law in
McLennan 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. Section 25.1571, Government Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 25.1571. MCLENNAN COUNTY. McLennan County has the
following statutory county courts:
(1) County Court at Law of McLennan County; [and]
(2) County Court at Law No. 2 of McLennan County; and
(3) County Court at Law No. 3 of McLennan County.
SECTION 2. Section 25.1572, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (a), (d), and (i) and adding Subsection (e) to
read as follows:
(a) In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section
25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in McLennan County has:
(1) concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in
state jail, third degree, and second degree felony cases on
assignment from a district judge presiding in McLennan County and
acceptance of the assignment by the judge of the county court at law
[and jurisdiction] to:
(A) conduct arraignments;
(B) [,] conduct pretrial hearings;
(C) [,] accept guilty pleas and conduct
sentencing;
(D) conduct jury trials and nonjury trials;
(E) [, and] conduct probation revocation
hearings; and
(F) conduct post-trial proceedings; and
(2) jurisdiction in:
(A) Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases;
(B) probate proceedings;
(C) disputes ancillary to probate, eminent
domain, condemnation, or landlord and tenant matters relating to
the adjudication and determination of land titles and trusts,
whether testamentary, inter vivos, constructive, resulting, or any
other class or type of trust, regardless of the amount in
controversy or the remedy sought; and
(D) appeals from the justice and municipal courts
[in felony cases].
(d) A judge of a county court at law shall be paid a total
[an] annual salary set by the commissioners court in an amount that
is not less than $1,000 less than the annual salary received by a
district judge with equivalent years of service as a judge, as
provided under Section 25.0005, to be paid out of the county
treasury by the commissioners court [of not more than $20,000. Each
judge receives the same amount as salary. The salary shall be paid
out of the county treasury by the commissioners court].
(e) The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at
law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district court,
and the county clerk serves as clerk of a county court at law in all
other matters. Each clerk shall establish a separate docket for a
county court at law.
(i) The official court reporter of a county court at law is
entitled to receive the same compensation and to be paid in the same
manner as the court reporters of the district courts in McLennan
County.
SECTION 3. The County Court at Law No. 3 of McLennan County
is created on the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.