| 2 | | - | (In the Senate - Filed January 3, 2017; February 1, 2017, |
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| 3 | | - | read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; |
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| 4 | | - | April 3, 2017, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 8, |
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| 5 | | - | Nays 1; April 3, 2017, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | | - | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 7 | 2 | | |
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| 8 | 3 | | |
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| 9 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 10 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 11 | 6 | | relating to the jurisdiction of county and justice courts in civil |
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| 12 | 7 | | matters. |
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| 13 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 26.042(a), Government Code, is amended |
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| 15 | 10 | | to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 11 | | (a) A county court has concurrent jurisdiction with the |
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| 17 | 12 | | justice courts in civil cases in which the matter in controversy |
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| 18 | 13 | | exceeds $200 in value but does not exceed $20,000 [$10,000], |
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| 19 | 14 | | exclusive of interest. |
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| 20 | 15 | | SECTION 2. Section 27.031(a), Government Code, is amended |
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| 21 | 16 | | to read as follows: |
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| 22 | 17 | | (a) In addition to the jurisdiction and powers provided by |
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| 23 | 18 | | the constitution and other law, the justice court has original |
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| 24 | 19 | | jurisdiction of: |
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| 25 | 20 | | (1) civil matters in which exclusive jurisdiction is |
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| 26 | 21 | | not in the district or county court and in which the amount in |
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| 27 | 22 | | controversy is not more than $20,000 [$10,000], exclusive of |
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| 28 | 23 | | interest; |
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| 29 | 24 | | (2) cases of forcible entry and detainer; |
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| 30 | 25 | | (3) foreclosure of mortgages and enforcement of liens |
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| 31 | 26 | | on personal property in cases in which the amount in controversy is |
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| 32 | 27 | | otherwise within the justice court's jurisdiction; and |
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| 33 | 28 | | (4) cases arising under Chapter 707, Transportation |
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| 34 | 29 | | Code, outside a municipality's territorial limits. |
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| 35 | 30 | | SECTION 3. This Act applies only to a cause of action filed |
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| 36 | 31 | | on or after the effective date of this Act. A cause of action filed |
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| 37 | 32 | | before that date is governed by the law in effect immediately before |
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| 38 | 33 | | that date, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 39 | 34 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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