88R8218 JTZ-D
By: Guillen H.B. No. 4048
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the creation of the 2nd Multicounty Court at Law in Bee,
Live Oak, and McMullen Counties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 25, Government Code, is
amended by adding Sections 25.2703 and 25.2704 to read as follows:
Sec. 25.2703. 2ND MULTICOUNTY COURT AT LAW (BEE, LIVE OAK,
AND MCMULLEN COUNTIES). Bee, Live Oak, and McMullen Counties have a
multicounty statutory county court composed of those counties, the
2nd Multicounty Court at Law.
Sec. 25.2704. 2ND MULTICOUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a)
In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and
other law, the 2nd Multicounty Court at Law has concurrent
jurisdiction with the district courts, except in civil cases in
which the matter in controversy exceeds the amount provided by
Section 25.0003(c)(1).
(b) Bee County is the administrative county for the 2nd
Multicounty Court at Law.
(c) Bee, Live Oak, and McMullen 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) If the counties served by the county court at law are
unable to reach an agreement under Subsection (c) 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.
(e) The district clerk serves as clerk of the county court
at law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district
court, and the county clerk serves as clerk of the county court at
law in all other cases.
(f) Sections 25.0006, 25.0008, and 74.054(b) do not apply to
the county court at law.
(g) Notwithstanding Section 74.121(b)(1), in matters of
concurrent jurisdiction, the judge of the 2nd Multicounty Court at
Law and the judges of the district courts in Bee, Live Oak, and
McMullen Counties may exchange benches and courtrooms and may
transfer cases between their dockets in the same manner that judges
of district courts exchange benches and courtrooms and transfer
cases under Section 24.003.
SECTION 2. The 2nd Multicounty Court at Law is created
September 1, 2023.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.