Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2068 Compare Versions

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11 84R31167 CAE-D
22 By: Eltife S.B. No. 2068
33 (Paddie)
44 Substitute the following for S.B. No. 2068: No.
55
66
77 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
88 AN ACT
99 relating to the Harrison County Court at Law.
1010 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1111 SECTION 1. Section 25.1042, Government Code, is amended by
1212 amending Subsections (a), (d), and (g) and adding Subsection (h) to
1313 read as follows:
1414 (a) In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section
1515 25.0003 and other law, a county court at law in Harrison County has
1616 concurrent jurisdiction with the district court, on assignment of a
1717 district judge presiding in Harrison County, in:
1818 (1) family law cases and proceedings;
1919 (2) felony cases other than capital murder cases; and
2020 (3) civil cases.
2121 (d) A party to a case assigned under Subsection (a) may
2222 request a jury of 12 persons if the party makes the request not
2323 later than the 30th day before the trial date. Except as provided by
2424 Subsection (h), a [A] party who does not make a timely request under
2525 this subsection waives the right to request a 12-person jury and the
2626 case will proceed with a six-person jury.
2727 (g) The criminal district attorney is entitled to the same
2828 fees prescribed by law for prosecutions in the county court, except
2929 that in cases assigned under Subsection (a), the criminal district
3030 attorney is entitled to the same fees prescribed by law for
3131 prosecutions in a district court.
3232 (h) A jury must be composed of 12 members in:
3333 (1) any civil case pending in which the amount in
3434 controversy is $200,000 or more; and
3535 (2) any felony case.
3636 SECTION 2. Section 25.1042(a), Government Code, as amended
3737 by this Act, and Section 25.1042(h), Government Code, as added by
3838 this Act, apply only to an action filed on or after the effective
3939 date of this Act. An action filed before the effective date of this
4040 Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the action was
4141 filed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
4242 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.