| 1 | 1 | | 85R7103 DMS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Schubert H.B. No. 4288 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the creation of a county court at law in Grimes County. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Sections 25.0951 and 25.0952 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 25.0951. GRIMES COUNTY. Grimes County has one |
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| 12 | 12 | | statutory county court, the County Court at Law of Grimes County. |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 25.0952. GRIMES COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a) In |
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| 14 | 14 | | addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and other |
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| 15 | 15 | | law, a county court at law in Grimes County has concurrent |
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| 16 | 16 | | jurisdiction with the district court in family law cases and |
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| 17 | 17 | | proceedings. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) The judge of the county court at law shall be paid an |
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| 19 | 19 | | annual salary set by the commissioners court in an amount that is at |
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| 20 | 20 | | least equal to the amount that is $1,000 less than the total annual |
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| 21 | 21 | | salary, including contributions and supplements, received by a |
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| 22 | 22 | | district judge in the county. The salary shall be paid by the |
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| 23 | 23 | | county treasurer by order of the commissioners court. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) The judge of the county court at law is entitled to |
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| 25 | 25 | | travel expenses and necessary office expenses, including |
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| 26 | 26 | | administrative and clerical assistance, in the same manner as the |
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| 27 | 27 | | district judge. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (d) The judge of a county court at law may not engage in the |
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| 29 | 29 | | private practice of law. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (e) The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at |
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| 31 | 31 | | law for family cases and proceedings, and the county clerk serves as |
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| 32 | 32 | | clerk for all other cases. The commissioners court may employ as |
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| 33 | 33 | | many deputy sheriffs and bailiffs as are necessary to serve the |
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| 34 | 34 | | court. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (f) If a case or proceeding in which a county court at law |
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| 36 | 36 | | has concurrent jurisdiction with a district court is tried before a |
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| 37 | 37 | | jury, the jury shall be composed of 12 members. In all other cases, |
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| 38 | 38 | | the jury shall be composed of six members. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (g) The judge of a county court at law may, instead of |
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| 40 | 40 | | appointing an official court reporter, contract for the services of |
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| 41 | 41 | | a court reporter under guidelines established by the commissioners |
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| 42 | 42 | | court. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (h) The laws governing the drawing, selection, service, and |
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| 44 | 44 | | pay of jurors for county courts apply to a county court at law. |
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| 45 | 45 | | Jurors regularly impaneled for a week by the district court may, on |
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| 46 | 46 | | a request of a judge of the county court at law, be made available |
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| 47 | 47 | | and shall serve for the week in a county court at law. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (i) A county court at law has the same terms of court as a |
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| 49 | 49 | | district court in Grimes County. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 2. The County Court at Law of Grimes County is |
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| 51 | 51 | | created on the effective date of this Act. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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