| 1 | 1 | | 86R3954 YDB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Calanni H.B. No. 2638 |
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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 locations for conducting certain court proceedings. |
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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. Section 24.033(b), Government Code, is amended |
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| 10 | 10 | | to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (b) Notwithstanding any other law, if a disaster, as defined |
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| 12 | 12 | | by Section 418.004, occurs in a [first tier coastal] county [or a |
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| 13 | 13 | | second tier coastal county] that precludes a district court from |
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| 14 | 14 | | conducting its proceedings at the county seat of that county, the |
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| 15 | 15 | | presiding judge of the administrative judicial region, with the |
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| 16 | 16 | | approval of the judge of the affected district court, may designate |
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| 17 | 17 | | for the proceedings an alternate location: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) in the judicial district of the affected court; or |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) at the location outside the judicial district |
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| 20 | 20 | | closest in proximity to the county seat that allows the court to |
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| 21 | 21 | | safely and reasonably [at which the court may] conduct its |
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| 22 | 22 | | proceedings. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 2. Section 25.0019(b), Government Code, is amended |
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| 24 | 24 | | to read as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) Notwithstanding any other law, including a specific |
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| 26 | 26 | | provision in this chapter for a particular court or county that |
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| 27 | 27 | | requires a statutory county court to conduct its proceedings at the |
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| 28 | 28 | | county seat, if a disaster, as defined by Section 418.004, occurs in |
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| 29 | 29 | | a [first tier coastal] county [or a second tier coastal county] that |
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| 30 | 30 | | precludes a statutory county court in that county from conducting |
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| 31 | 31 | | its proceedings at the county seat, the presiding judge of the |
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| 32 | 32 | | administrative judicial region, with the approval of the judge of |
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| 33 | 33 | | the affected statutory county court, may designate for the |
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| 34 | 34 | | proceedings an alternate location: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) in the county; or |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) at the location outside the county closest in |
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| 37 | 37 | | proximity to the county seat that allows the court to safely and |
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| 38 | 38 | | reasonably [at which the court may] conduct its proceedings. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. Section 26.009(b), Government Code, is amended |
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| 40 | 40 | | to read as follows: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (b) Notwithstanding any other law, including Section |
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| 42 | 42 | | 26.002(c), if a disaster, as defined by Section 418.004, occurs in a |
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| 43 | 43 | | [first tier coastal] county [or a second tier coastal county] that |
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| 44 | 44 | | precludes the county court from conducting its proceedings at the |
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| 45 | 45 | | county seat, the presiding judge of the administrative judicial |
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| 46 | 46 | | region, with the approval of the judge of the affected county court, |
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| 47 | 47 | | may designate for the proceedings an alternate location: |
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| 48 | 48 | | (1) in the county; or |
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| 49 | 49 | | (2) at the location outside the county closest in |
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| 50 | 50 | | proximity to the county seat that allows the court to safely and |
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| 51 | 51 | | reasonably [at which the court may] conduct its proceedings. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 4. Sections 24.033(a), 25.0019(a), and 26.009(a), |
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| 53 | 53 | | Government Code, are repealed. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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