HBA-KMH H.B. 1634 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1634 By: Krusee Judicial Affairs 4/7/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, Williamson County has two county courts at law. The last county court was created in 1989. Since the addition of the second county court at law in Williamson County, the number of filed cases has increased 68 percent, and dispositions have increased 108 percent. Recently, Williamson County has experienced a population increase of more than 50 percent, and an Austin Transportation Study predicts that Williamson County's population will increase nearly 400 percent in the next 25 years. At present, the County Court at Law No. 1 and the County Court at Law No. 2 of Williamson County are backlogged. The creation of an additional statutory court can help to relieve the crowded dockets. The commissioners court has pledged support for an additional county court at law by setting aside $800,000 in the county's budget to fund it. H.B. 1634 creates County Court at Law No. 3 of Williamson County. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 25.2481, Government Code, to create County Court at Law No. 3 of Williamson County. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.