HBA-BSM H.B. 3168 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3168
By: Thompson
Judicial Affairs
3/20/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Texas Constitution requires the Judicial Districts Board
(JDB) to make a statewide reapportionment of judicial districts if the
legislature fails to do so by a certain deadline.  If the JDB is
unsuccessful, the reapportionment responsibility falls to the Legislative
Redistricting Board. The caseloads of district judges may vary by more than
600 percent, and population variance per district by more than 20,000
percent.  Many people feel the legislature may again fail to act on
reapportioning districts unless forced to do so.  House Bill 3168 sets
forth redistricting for judicial districts by placing all counties into two
judicial districts. 

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 3168 amends the Government Code by repealing law relating to the
composition of certain judicial districts, the Judicial District Act of
1969, family district courts, and criminal district courts and divides the
counties into two separate judicial districts.  The bill sets forth each
county that composes the districts.   

EFFECTIVE DATE

December 31, 2003.