By: Harless H.B. No. 1182
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to judicial statistics and other pertinent information,
including landlord and tenant dispute information, gathered by or
reported to the Texas Judicial Council and certain populous
counties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 71.035, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), and
(a-3) to read as follows:
(a) The council shall gather judicial statistics and other
pertinent information, including monthly court activity statistics
for each trial court in this state, from the several state judges
and other court officials of this state.
(a-1) The [In addition, the] council shall implement a
monthly tracking system to ensure accountability for counties and
courts which participate in the statewide integrated system for
child support, medical support, and dental support enforcement
established under Section 231.0011, Family Code. As a duty of
office, the district clerks and county clerks serving the affected
courts shall report monthly such information as may be required by
the council, including, at a minimum, the time required to enforce
cases from date of delinquency, from date of filing, and from date
of service until date of disposition. Such information as is
necessary to complete the report and not directly within the
control of the district or county clerk, such as date of
delinquency, shall be provided to the clerk by the child support
registry or by the enforcement agency providing Title IV-D
enforcement services in the court.
(a-2) A [The] monthly report required by Subsection (a) or
(a-1) must [shall] be transmitted to the Office of Court
Administration of the Texas Judicial System no later than the 20th
day of the month following the month reported, in the [such] form
and manner [as may be] prescribed by the office [Office of Court
Administration], which may include electronic data transfer. The
office shall publish the information for each court on the office's
public Internet website in a searchable format.
(a-3) In a county with a population greater than one
million, a court official for each court in the county shall submit
to the appropriate county official for publication on the county's
public Internet website a copy of each monthly report required
under Subsections (a) and (a-1) within the time required by
Subsection (a-2). The county shall publish the information for
each court on the county's Internet website in a searchable format
[Copies of such reports shall be maintained in the office of the
appropriate district or county clerk for a period of at least two
years and shall be available to the public for inspection and
reproduction].
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 71, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 71.0354 to read as follows:
Sec. 71.0354. LANDLORD AND TENANT DISPUTE INFORMATION:
COURTS. (a) As a component of the official monthly report
submitted under Section 71.035, a court with jurisdiction over
landlord and tenant disputes shall report by category each case
filed in the court under Chapter 24, Property Code, or Title 8,
Property Code, including:
(1) eviction suits;
(2) suits involving the disconnection of utilities;
(3) repair and remedy suits;
(4) suits involving security deposits;
(5) suits involving unlawful lockouts;
(6) suits involving the provision of security and
safety devices; and
(7) any other category of suit involving a landlord or
tenant brought under Title 8, Property Code, and designated by the
council.
(b) The council may adopt rules as necessary to implement
this section.
SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date
of this Act, the Texas Judicial Council shall adopt any rules
necessary to implement the changes in law made by this Act.
SECTION 4. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
date of this Act the Texas Judicial Council shall prescribe the
categories of landlord and tenant suits a court is required to
report under Section 71.0354, Government Code, as added by this
Act, and the procedures for reporting under that section.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 71.0354, Government Code, as
added by this Act, a court is not required to report landlord and
tenant dispute information under that section until after the Texas
Judicial Council establishes the categories and procedures for
reporting under that section.
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.