Bill Text: TX HB948 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the creation of a county court at law in Willacy County.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-02-24 - Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence [HB948 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HB948-Introduced.html
| 82R5625 YDB-D | ||
| By: Lozano | H.B. No. 948 | |
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| relating to the creation of a county court at law in Willacy County. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Sections 25.2471 and 25.2472 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 25.2471. WILLACY COUNTY. Willacy County has one | ||
| statutory county court, the County Court at Law of Willacy County. | ||
| Sec. 25.2472. WILLACY COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a) | ||
| In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and | ||
| other law, and except as limited by Subsection (b), a county court | ||
| at law in Willacy County has concurrent jurisdiction with the | ||
| district court in: | ||
| (1) felony cases to: | ||
| (A) conduct arraignments; | ||
| (B) conduct pretrial hearings; | ||
| (C) accept guilty pleas; and | ||
| (D) conduct jury trials on assignment of a | ||
| district judge presiding in Willacy County and acceptance of the | ||
| assignment by the judge of the county court at law; | ||
| (2) Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases; | ||
| (3) family law matters; | ||
| (4) juvenile matters; | ||
| (5) probate matters; and | ||
| (6) appeals from the justice and municipal courts. | ||
| (b) A county court at law does not have general supervisory | ||
| control or appellate review of the commissioners court or | ||
| jurisdiction of: | ||
| (1) suits on behalf of this state to recover penalties | ||
| or escheated property; | ||
| (2) felony cases involving capital murder; | ||
| (3) misdemeanors involving official misconduct; or | ||
| (4) contested elections. | ||
| (c) The judge of a county court at law must have the same | ||
| qualifications as those required by law for a district judge. | ||
| (d) The judge of a county court at law shall be paid a total | ||
| annual salary set by the commissioners court at an amount that is | ||
| not less than $1,000 less than the total annual salary received by a | ||
| district judge in the county. A district judge's or statutory | ||
| county court judge's total annual salary does not include | ||
| contributions and supplements paid by a county. | ||
| (e) The judge of a county court at law may not engage in the | ||
| private practice of law. | ||
| (f) 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 shall serve 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. | ||
| (g) The official court reporter of a county court at law is | ||
| entitled to receive a salary set by the judge of the county court at | ||
| law with the approval of the commissioners court. | ||
| (h) Jurors summoned for a county court at law or a district | ||
| court in the county may by order of the judge of the court to which | ||
| they are summoned be transferred to another court for service and | ||
| may be used as if summoned for the court to which they are | ||
| transferred. | ||
| SECTION 2. Notwithstanding Section 25.2471, Government | ||
| Code, as added by this Act, the County Court at Law of Willacy | ||
| County is created January 1, 2013, or on an earlier date determined | ||
| by the Commissioners Court of Willacy County by an order entered in | ||
| its minutes. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. | ||
