Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB958 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R5750 GRM-D
2	2	By: Rodriguez of Bexar H.B. No. 958
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to an interim study regarding the method by which certain
8	8	trial and appellate judges are selected.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. INTERIM COMMITTEE; STUDY. (a) The joint interim
11	11	committee on judicial selection is established to study and review
12	12	the method by which the following judges and justices are selected
13	13	for office in this state:
14	14	(1) statutory county court judges, including probate
15	15	court judges;
16	16	(2) district judges; and
17	17	(3) appellate justices and judges.
18	18	(b) The study must consider:
19	19	(1) the fairness, effectiveness, and desirability of
20	20	selecting a judicial officer described in Subsection (a) of this
21	21	section through partisan elections;
22	22	(2) the fairness, effectiveness, and desirability of
23	23	judicial selection methods proposed or adopted by other states; and
24	24	(3) the relative merits of alternative methods for
25	25	selecting a judicial officer described in Subsection (a) of this
26	26	section, including:
27	27	(A) lifetime appointment;
28	28	(B) appointment for a term;
29	29	(C) appointment for a term, followed by a
30	30	partisan election;
31	31	(D) appointment for a term, followed by a
32	32	nonpartisan election;
33	33	(E) appointment for a term, followed by a
34	34	nonpartisan retention election;
35	35	(F) partisan election for an open seat, followed
36	36	by a nonpartisan retention election for incumbents; and
37	37	(G) any other method or combination of methods
38	38	for selecting a judicial officer described in Subsection (a) of
39	39	this section.
40	40	(c) The joint interim committee shall be composed of six
41	41	senators and six members of the house of representatives as
42	42	follows:
43	43	(1) the chair of the senate state affairs committee,
44	44	the chair of the senate criminal justice committee, and four
45	45	senators appointed by the lieutenant governor; and
46	46	(2) the chair of the judiciary and civil jurisprudence
47	47	committee of the house of representatives, the chair of the
48	48	criminal jurisprudence committee of the house of representatives,
49	49	and four members of the house of representatives appointed by the
50	50	speaker of the house of representatives.
51	51	(d) When making appointments under Subsection (c) of this
52	52	section, the lieutenant governor shall ensure that three senators
53	53	from the majority party of the senate are appointed to the committee
54	54	and three senators from the minority party of the senate are
55	55	appointed to the committee. When making appointments under
56	56	Subsection (c) of this section, the speaker of the house of
57	57	representatives shall ensure that three members from the majority
58	58	party of the house of representatives are appointed to the
59	59	committee and three members from the minority party of the house of
60	60	representatives are appointed to the committee.
61	61	(e) The lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
62	62	representatives shall each designate a co-chair from among the
63	63	committee members.
64	64	(f) The joint interim committee shall convene at the call of
65	65	one of the co-chairs.
66	66	(g) The joint interim committee has all other powers and
67	67	duties provided to a special or select committee by the rules of the
68	68	senate and house of representatives, by Subchapter B, Chapter 301,
69	69	Government Code, and by policies of the senate and house committees
70	70	on administration.
71	71	(h) Not later than January 6, 2019, the joint interim
72	72	committee shall report the committee's findings and
73	73	recommendations to the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the
74	74	house of representatives, and the governor. The committee shall
75	75	include in its recommendations specific constitutional and
76	76	statutory changes that appear necessary from the results of the
77	77	committee's study.
78	78	(i) From the contingent expense fund of the senate and the
79	79	contingent expense fund of the house of representatives equally,
80	80	the members of the joint interim committee shall be reimbursed for
81	81	expenses incurred in carrying out the provisions of this Act in
82	82	accordance with the senate and house of representatives rules of
83	83	procedure and the policies of the committees on administration.
84	84	Other necessary expenses of operation shall be paid from the
85	85	contingent expense fund of the senate and the contingent expense
86	86	fund of the house of representatives equally.
87	87	(j) The Texas Legislative Council shall provide legal and
88	88	policy research, bill drafting, and statistical analysis services
89	89	to the committee created under this section.
90	90	SECTION 2. ABOLITION OF COMMITTEE. The committee is
91	91	abolished and this Act expires January 12, 2019.
92	92	SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect
93	93	immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members
94	94	elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas
95	95	Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
96	96	immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2017.