Bill Text: TX SB1940 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the operation and administration of and practice and procedure related to proceedings in the judicial branch of state government.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-04-01 - Referred to Jurisprudence [SB1940 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-SB1940-Introduced.html
By: Gutierrez | S.B. No. 1940 | |
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relating to the operation and administration of and practice and | ||
procedure related to proceedings in the judicial branch of state | ||
government. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 25.1572, Government Code, is amended by | ||
amending Subsections (a), (d), and (i) and adding Subsections (b) | ||
and (e) to read as follows: | ||
(a) In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section | ||
25.0003 and other law, and except as limited by Subsection (b), a | ||
county court at law in McLennan County has concurrent jurisdiction | ||
with the district court in: | ||
(1) [ |
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(A) conduct arraignments; | ||
(B) [ |
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(C) [ |
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(D) conduct jury trials on assignment of a | ||
district judge presiding in McLennan County and acceptance of the | ||
assignment by the judge of the county court at law; | ||
(2) Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases; | ||
(3) probate matters; | ||
(4) disputes ancillary to probate, eminent domain, | ||
condemnation, or landlord and tenant matters relating to the | ||
adjudication and determination of land titles and trusts, whether | ||
testamentary, inter vivos, constructive, resulting, or any other | ||
class or type of trust, regardless of the amount in controversy or | ||
the remedy sought; and | ||
(5) appeals from the justice and municipal courts | ||
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(b) A county court at law does not have jurisdiction in: | ||
(1) suits on behalf of the state to recover penalties | ||
or escheated property; | ||
(2) felony cases involving capital murder; | ||
(3) misdemeanors involving official misconduct; or | ||
(4) contested elections. | ||
(d) A judge of a county court at law shall be paid a total | ||
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is not less than $1,000 less than the annual base salary received by | ||
a district judge with equivalent years of service as a judge [ |
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district judge's annual base salary do not include contributions | ||
and supplements paid by the county [ |
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(e) The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at | ||
law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district court, | ||
and the county clerk serves as clerk of a county court at law in all | ||
other matters. Each clerk shall establish a separate docket for a | ||
county court at law. | ||
(i) The official court reporter of a county court at law is | ||
entitled to receive a salary set by the judge of the county court at | ||
law with the approval of the commissioners court [ |
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SECTION 2. Sections 25.1972(a) and (b), Government Code, | ||
are amended to read as follows: | ||
(a) In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section | ||
25.0003 and other law, and except as limited by general law and | ||
Subsection (b), a county court at law in Reeves County has: | ||
(1) concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in | ||
all civil matters including: | ||
(A) in disputes ancillary to probate, eminent | ||
domain, condemnation, or landlord and tenant matters relating to | ||
the adjudication and determination of land titles and trusts, | ||
whether testamentary, inter vivos, constructive, resulting, or any | ||
other class or type of trust, regardless of the amount in | ||
controversy or the remedy sought; | ||
(B) over civil forfeitures, including surety | ||
bond forfeitures without minimum or maximum limitation as to the | ||
amount in controversy or remedy sought; | ||
(C) in all actions by or against a personal | ||
representative, in all actions involving an inter vivos trust, in | ||
all actions involving a charitable trust, and in all actions | ||
involving a testamentary trust, whether the matter is appertaining | ||
to or incident to an estate; | ||
(D) in proceedings under Title 3, Family Code; | ||
and | ||
(E) in family law cases and proceedings [ |
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(2) jurisdiction in mental health matters, original or | ||
appellate, provided by law for constitutional county courts, | ||
statutory county courts, or district courts with mental health | ||
jurisdiction, including proceedings under: | ||
(A) Chapter 462, Health and Safety Code; and | ||
(B) Subtitles C and D, Title 7, Health and Safety | ||
Code; | ||
(3) jurisdiction over the collection and management of | ||
estates of minors, persons with a mental illness or intellectual | ||
disability, and deceased persons; and | ||
(4) jurisdiction in all cases assigned, transferred, | ||
or heard under Sections 74.054, 74.059, and 74.094. | ||
(b) A county court at law does not have jurisdiction of: | ||
(1) felony cases, except as otherwise provided by law; | ||
(2) misdemeanors involving official misconduct unless | ||
assigned under Sections 74.054 and 74.059; or | ||
(3) contested elections[ |
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SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 45, Code of Criminal | ||
Procedure, is amended by adding Article 45.0241 to read as follows: | ||
Art. 45.0241. ACCEPTANCE OF DEFENDANT'S PLEA. A justice or | ||
judge may not accept a plea of guilty or plea of nolo contendere | ||
unless it appears to the justice or judge that the defendant is | ||
mentally competent and the plea is free and voluntary. | ||
SECTION 4. 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, 2021. |