HBA-KDB H.B. 1637 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1637
By: Goodman
Judicial Affairs
4/4/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, a person who is qualified to serve as a temporary
justice of the peace is only eligible if the person has served as a justice
of the peace for not less than four and a half years.  There is a shortage
of qualified persons who can serve as a temporary justice of the peace.
House Bill 1637 expands the list of qualified persons who are authorized to
serve as a temporary justice of the peace. 

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. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 1637 amends the Government Code to modify the definition of a
"qualified person" who is authorized to be appointed to serve as a
temporary justice of the peace because of the inability of the justice of
the peace to serve to include a person who has served as a master or
magistrate or an associate judge for a district court; a judge of a
constitutional county court, statutory court, or district court; or a
justice of an appellate court. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.