By: Perry S.B. No. 2215
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the 1st Multicounty Court at Law.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 25.2702, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsections (d-1) and (d-2) to
read as follows:
(d) The judge of the county court at law shall appoint an
official court reporter. The judge may appoint a court
administrator to aid the judge in the performance of the judge's
duties. The official court reporter and the court administrator of
the county court at law are entitled to receive a salary set by the
commissioners courts in the counties the reporter or administrator
serves to be paid out of the county treasuries, either by salary or
by contract as set by the commissioners courts [the same salary and
to be paid in the same manner as the official court reporter and
court administrator, respectively, of the district court in the
administrative county for the court]. The clerk of the court shall
tax as costs, in each civil, criminal, and probate case in which a
record of any part of the evidence in the case is made by the
reporter, a stenographer's fee of $25. The fee shall be paid in the
same manner as other costs in the case. The clerk collects the fee
and pays it into the general funds of the counties.
(d-1) Fisher, Mitchell, and Nolan Counties shall enter into
an interlocal agreement allocating the financial obligations of
each county in relation to the county court at law and the budget,
powers, and duties of the court and salaries of court personnel.
(d-2) If the counties served by the county court at law are
unable to reach an agreement under Subsection (d-1) before the
first day of the fiscal year for a county served by the court, each
county shall pay to the court's administrative county a share of the
court's administrative and operational costs for the fiscal year
based on the proportion of the court's caseload originating in the
county during the preceding year. A county is entitled to
compensation from the state under Section 25.0015 in proportion to
the amount paid under this subsection.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2019.