| 2 | 4 | | |
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| 3 | 5 | | |
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| 4 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 8 | | relating to court administration, including the term of a local |
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| 7 | 9 | | administrative judge, court administration training, and the |
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| 8 | 10 | | compensation of certain administrative judges. |
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| 9 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 74.091, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 13 | | amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as |
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| 12 | 14 | | follows: |
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| 13 | 15 | | (b) In a county with two or more district courts the judges |
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| 14 | 16 | | of those courts shall elect a district judge as local |
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| 15 | 17 | | administrative district judge: |
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| 16 | 18 | | (1) for a term of [not more than] two years; or |
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| 17 | 19 | | (2) if the district judge's term ends before the second |
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| 18 | 20 | | anniversary of the date the district judge is elected as local |
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| 19 | 21 | | administrative judge, for the remainder of the district judge's |
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| 20 | 22 | | term. |
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| 21 | 23 | | (b-1) The local administrative district judge may not be |
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| 22 | 24 | | elected on the basis of rotation or seniority. |
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| 23 | 25 | | (b-2) If a majority of the judges cannot agree on the |
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| 24 | 26 | | selection of a judge to serve as local administrative district |
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| 25 | 27 | | judge, one of the judges shall notify the regional presiding judge |
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| 26 | 28 | | who shall cast the deciding vote. A local administrative judge |
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| 27 | 29 | | elected pursuant to this subsection shall serve for a term, set by |
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| 28 | 30 | | the regional presiding judge, of no more than two years. |
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| 29 | 31 | | SECTION 2. Chapter 74, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 30 | 32 | | adding Subchapter D-1 to read as follows: |
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| 31 | 33 | | SUBCHAPTER D-1. COURT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE |
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| 32 | 34 | | Sec. 74.0981. COURT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE. The Office of |
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| 33 | 35 | | Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System shall hold an |
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| 34 | 36 | | annual meeting to provide information to presiding judges of |
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| 35 | 37 | | administrative regions, local administrative judges, and court |
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| 36 | 38 | | administrators related to: |
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| 37 | 39 | | (1) court budgets and operational funding; |
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| 38 | 40 | | (2) court activity statistics and case-level |
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| 39 | 41 | | information on the amount and character of the business transacted |
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| 40 | 42 | | by the state trial courts; |
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| 41 | 43 | | (3) the duties of a local administrative judge; and |
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| 42 | 44 | | (4) other matters related to court administration. |
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| 43 | 45 | | Sec. 74.0982. REIMBURSEMENT. The Office of Court |
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| 44 | 46 | | Administration of the Texas Judicial System may reimburse a |
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| 45 | 47 | | presiding judge of an administrative region, a local administrative |
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| 46 | 48 | | judge, or a court administrator, for the expense of attending the |
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| 47 | 49 | | meeting described by Section 74.0981 to the extent money is |
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| 48 | 50 | | appropriated to the office for that purpose. |
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| 49 | 51 | | SECTION 3. Section 659.012, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 50 | 52 | | amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (d-1) to read as |
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| 51 | 53 | | follows: |
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| 52 | 54 | | (d) Notwithstanding any other provision in this section or |
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| 53 | 55 | | other law, [in a county with more than five district courts,] a |
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| 54 | 56 | | district judge who serves as a local administrative district judge |
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| 55 | 57 | | under Section 74.091 is entitled to an annual base salary from the |
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| 56 | 58 | | state in the amount provided under Subsection (a) or (b) and an |
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| 57 | 59 | | additional annual [in the] amount from the state equal to: |
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| 58 | 60 | | (1) in a county with three or four district courts, |
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| 59 | 61 | | three percent of the annual base [$5,000 more than the maximum] |
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| 60 | 62 | | salary for a judge of a district court [from the state to which the |
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| 61 | 63 | | judge is otherwise entitled] under Subsection (a); |
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| 62 | 64 | | (2) in a county with more than four but fewer than 10 |
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| 63 | 65 | | district courts, five percent of the annual base salary for a judge |
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| 64 | 66 | | of a district court under Subsection (a); or |
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| 65 | 67 | | (3) in a county with 10 or more district courts, seven |
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| 66 | 68 | | percent of the annual base salary for a judge of a district court |
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| 67 | 69 | | under Subsection (a) [or (b)]. |
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| 68 | 70 | | (d-1) Notwithstanding any other provision in this section |
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| 69 | 71 | | or other law, a judge of a division of the business court who serves |
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| 70 | 72 | | as administrative presiding judge under Section 25A.009 is entitled |
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| 71 | 73 | | to an annual base salary from the state in the amount provided under |
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| 72 | 74 | | Subsection (a) or (b) and an additional annual amount equal to the |
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| 73 | 75 | | amount provided under Subsection (d)(3). |
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| 74 | 76 | | SECTION 4. Section 74.091, Government Code, as amended by |
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| 75 | 77 | | this Act, applies only to a local administrative judge elected on or |
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| 76 | 78 | | after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 77 | 79 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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