| 5 | 3 | | |
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| 6 | 4 | | |
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| 7 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 7 | | relating to the eligibility of a former or retired statutory |
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| 10 | 8 | | probate court judge for assignment as a visiting judge. |
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| 11 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 25.0022(t), Government Code, is amended |
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| 13 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 12 | | (t) To be eligible for assignment under this section, a |
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| 15 | 13 | | former or retired judge of a statutory probate court must: |
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| 16 | 14 | | (1) not have been removed from office; |
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| 17 | 15 | | (2) certify under oath to the presiding judge, on a |
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| 18 | 16 | | form prescribed by the state board of regional judges, that: |
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| 19 | 17 | | (A) the judge has not been publicly reprimanded |
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| 20 | 18 | | or censured by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct; and |
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| 21 | 19 | | (B) the judge: |
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| 22 | 20 | | (i) did not resign or retire from office |
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| 23 | 21 | | after the State Commission on Judicial Conduct notified the judge |
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| 24 | 22 | | of the commencement of a full investigation into an allegation or |
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| 25 | 23 | | appearance of misconduct or disability of the judge as provided in |
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| 26 | 24 | | Section 33.022 and before the final disposition of that |
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| 27 | 25 | | investigation; or |
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| 28 | 26 | | (ii) if the judge did resign from office |
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| 29 | 27 | | under circumstances described by Subparagraph (i), was not publicly |
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| 30 | 28 | | reprimanded or censured as a result of the investigation; |
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| 31 | 29 | | (3) annually demonstrate that the judge has completed |
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| 32 | 30 | | in the past state fiscal year the educational requirements for an |
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| 33 | 31 | | active statutory probate court judge; |
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| 34 | 32 | | (4) have served as an active judge for at least 48 [72] |
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| 35 | 33 | | months in a district, statutory probate, statutory county, or |
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| 36 | 34 | | appellate court; and |
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| 37 | 35 | | (5) have developed substantial experience in the |
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| 38 | 36 | | judge's area of specialty. |
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| 39 | 37 | | SECTION 2. Section 25.0022(t-1), Government Code, is |
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| 40 | 38 | | repealed. |
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| 41 | 39 | | SECTION 3. Section 25.0022(t), Government Code, as amended |
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| 42 | 40 | | by this Act, applies only to an assignment of a visiting judge under |
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| 43 | 41 | | Chapter 25, Government Code, made on or after the effective date of |
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| 44 | 42 | | this Act. An assignment made before the effective date of this Act |
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| 45 | 43 | | is governed by Section 25.0022(t), Government Code, as that section |
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| 46 | 44 | | existed on the date of the assignment, and that law is continued in |
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| 47 | 45 | | effect for that purpose. |
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| 48 | 46 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 49 | 47 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 50 | 48 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 51 | 49 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 52 | 50 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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