85R14133 YDB-D
By: Birdwell, Zaffirini S.B. No. 1893
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the administrative judicial regions in this state.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 74.042, Government Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 74.042. ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS. (a) The state is
divided into 13 [nine] administrative judicial regions.
(b) The First Administrative Judicial Region is composed of
the counties of Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend,
Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Waller, and Washington [Anderson,
Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Collin, Dallas, Delta, Ellis, Fannin,
Franklin, Grayson, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Houston,
Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rains,
Red River, Rockwall, Rusk, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt,
and Wood].
(c) The Second Administrative Judicial Region is composed
of the counties of Archer, Clay, Cooke, Denton, Hood, Jack,
Montague, Parker, Tarrant, Wichita, Wise, and Young [Angelina,
Bastrop, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Chambers, Fort Bend,
Freestone, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Jasper, Jefferson,
Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery,
Newton, Orange, Polk, Robertson, Sabine, San Augustine, San
Jacinto, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller, Washington, and Wharton].
(d) The Third Administrative Judicial Region is composed of
the counties of Bastrop, [Austin,] Bell, Blanco, [Bosque,] Burnet,
Caldwell, Coke, [Colorado,] Comal, Concho, [Comanche, Coryell,
Falls,] Fayette, [Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hamilton,] Hays, Irion,
[Hill,] Lampasas, Lee, [Lavaca,] Llano, McCulloch, [McLennan,]
Milam, Mills, Runnels, [Navarro,] San Saba, Schleicher, Sterling,
Tom Green, Travis, and Williamson.
(e) The Fourth Administrative Judicial Region is composed
of the counties of [Aransas,] Atascosa, Bandera, [Bee,] Bexar,
Brooks, [Calhoun, DeWitt,] Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, Frio,
Gillespie, Guadalupe, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, [Goliad, Jackson,]
Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, LaSalle, Mason, [Live Oak,]
Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Real, Starr, Sutton, Uvalde,
Val Verde, [Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria,] Webb, Wilson, Zapata,
and Zavala.
(f) The Fifth Administrative Judicial Region is composed of
the counties of Collin, Dallas, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, and
Rockwall [Brooks, Cameron, Duval, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells,
Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, Starr, and Willacy].
(g) The Sixth Administrative Judicial Region is composed of
the counties of Bowie, Camp, Cass, Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Gregg,
Harrison, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Panola, Red River,
Rusk, Titus, Upshur, and Wood [Bandera, Brewster, Crockett,
Culberson, Edwards, El Paso, Gillespie, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis,
Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Mason, McCulloch, Medina, Menard,
Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Real, Sutton, Terrell, Upton, Uvalde, and
Val Verde].
(h) The Seventh Administrative Judicial Region is composed
of the counties of Armstrong, Bailey, Briscoe, Carson, Castro,
Childress, Cochran, Collingsworth, Cottle, Crosby, Dallam, Deaf
Smith, Dickens, Donley, Floyd, Foard, [Andrews, Borden, Brown,
Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Crane, Dawson, Ector, Fisher,
Gaines,] Garza, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley,
Hemphill, Hockley, Hutchinson, [Glasscock, Haskell, Howard, Irion,
Jones,] Kent, King, Lamb, Lipscomb, Lubbock, Lynn, Moore, Motley,
Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman,
Swisher, Terry, Wilbarger, Wheeler, and Yoakum [Loving, Lynn,
Martin, Midland, Mills, Mitchell, Nolan, Reeves, Runnels,
Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Sterling, Stonewall, Taylor,
Throckmorton, Tom Green, Ward, and Winkler].
(i) The Eighth Administrative Judicial Region is composed
of the counties of Andrews, Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson,
El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan,
Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Ward, and Winkler [Archer, Clay, Cooke,
Denton, Eastland, Erath, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Montague, Palo Pinto,
Parker, Somervell, Stephens, Tarrant, Wichita, Wise, and Young].
(j) The Ninth Administrative Judicial Region is composed of
the counties of Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery,
Newton, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, and Tyler [Armstrong, Bailey,
Baylor, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Cochran,
Collingsworth, Cottle, Crosby, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Dickens,
Donley, Floyd, Foard, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman,
Hartley, Hemphill, Hockley, Hutchinson, King, Knox, Lamb,
Lipscomb, Lubbock, Moore, Motley, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer,
Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, Terry, Wheeler,
Wilbarger, and Yoakum].
(k) The Tenth Administrative Judicial Region is composed of
the counties of Bosque, Burleson, Brazos, Coryell, Ellis, Falls,
Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Johnson, Leon, Limestone, Madison,
McLennan, Navarro, Robertson, Somervell, and Walker.
(l) The Eleventh Administrative Judicial Region is composed
of the counties of Baylor, Borden, Brown, Callahan, Coleman,
Comanche, Dawson, Eastland, Ector, Erath, Fisher, Gaines,
Glasscock, Haskell, Howard, Jones, Knox, Martin, Midland,
Mitchell, Nolan, Palo Pinto, Scurry, Shackelford, Stephens,
Stonewall, Taylor, and Throckmorton.
(m) The Twelfth Administrative Judicial Region is composed
of the counties of Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson,
Houston, Nacogdoches, Rains, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby,
Smith, Trinity, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood.
(n) The Thirteenth Administrative Judicial Region is
composed of the counties of Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, Cameron, DeWitt,
Goliad, Gonzales, Hidalgo, Jackson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Lavaca, Live
Oak, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Wharton,
and Willacy.
SECTION 2. Section 74.254(a), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) The judicial committee for additional resources is
composed of:
(1) the chief justice of the supreme court; and
(2) the [nine] presiding judges of the administrative
judicial regions.
SECTION 3. (a) The Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and
Thirteenth Administrative Judicial Regions are created on the
effective date of this Act.
(b) On the effective date of this Act, the governor, with
the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint a judge to serve
as presiding judge in each of the Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and
Thirteenth Administrative Judicial Regions and of any
administrative judicial region in which a vacancy in office occurs
because the presiding judge of a judicial region is no longer
qualified to serve as the presiding judge of the region because of
the composition of the region on the effective date of this Act.
(c) On the effective date of this Act, the county in which a
presiding judge appointed under Subsection (b) of this section
resides shall provide adequate quarters for the operation of the
applicable administrative judicial region.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.