A new bill authored by State Rep. Darby seeks to expand the jurisdiction of county courts at law in Tom Green County to include certain family law cases, according to the Texas Legislature website.
The bill on Courts category, introduced as HB 5697 during the 89(R) legislative session on Wednesday, April 30, was formally listed with the short title: ’Relating to the jurisdiction of the county courts at law in Tom Green County’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill amends Section 25.2282 of the Government Code to expand the jurisdiction of county courts at law in Tom Green County. It grants these courts concurrent jurisdiction with the district court for family law cases and proceedings. The new jurisdiction applies only to cases filed or proceedings commenced on or after September 1, 2025, the act’s effective date. Cases filed before this date will continue to be governed by the laws in effect at the time of filing.
Drew Darby, the chair of the House Committee on Energy Resources, proposed another 63 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. He is also a member of the House Committee on House Administration and a member of the House Committee on State Affairs.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
Other Recent Bills Introduced by Rep. Drew Darby in Texas House During 89(R) Legislative Session
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| HB 5620 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to a criminal associate judge in Coke, Concho, Irion, Runnels, Schleicher, Sterling, and Tom Green Counties |
| HB 5578 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to notice of a public hearing at which the board of directors of an appraisal district will consider the appraisal district budget |
| HB 5576 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to certain best management practices and to certain requirements for the design, construction, and operation of certain wind and solar power facilities in this state |
| HB 5568 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the authority of the Railroad Commission of Texas to designate certain persons as the operator of an orphaned oil or gas well |
| HB 5523 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the procedure for the adoption by the board of regents of The University of Texas System of a rate and damage schedule for the management of university land |
| HB 5518 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the procedure for action on certain applications for an amendment to a water right |
| HB 5517 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to sexually explicit artificially generated images and videos |
| HB 49 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the treatment and beneficial use of fluid oil and gas waste and related material, including a limitation on liability for that treatment or use |
| HB 48 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the creation of an organized oilfield theft prevention unit within the Department of Public Safety |
| HB 5123 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to financial assurance requirements for operators under the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas |
| HB 5111 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the regulation of campaign treasurer appointments and related matters and the content of and posting of information contained in a campaign treasurer appointment; providing a civil penalty |
| HB 5109 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to certain regulations adopted by governmental entities for the construction or alteration of residential or commercial buildings |
| HB 4536 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to notice submitted to state and local contractors of complaints alleging a violation of certain prevailing wage laws |
| HB 4427 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to the recovery of certain expenses by an electric utility or a water and sewer utility in a rate proceeding |
| HB 4426 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to permits issued by the Railroad Commission of Texas for commercial surface disposal facilities |
| HB 4384 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to the recovery of certain costs associated with a gas utility’s plant, facilities, or equipment placed in service |
| HB 4382 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to an exemption from sales and use taxes for certain tangible personal property used in hydraulic fracturing |
| HB 4290 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to a qualifying cogenerator that serves a large load and a colocated desalination facility |
| HB 4136 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to the availability of certain personal information of a member of the governing board of an institution of higher education, the chief executive officer of the institution, or the chief executive officer of a university system |
| HB 4124 | 03/07/2025 | Relating to the charging of swipe fees on certain electronic payment transactions; authorizing a civil penalty |
| HB 4011 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the partition or voluntary sale of real property owned by certain cotenants; amending the Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act |
| HB 3970 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the interconnection and operation of large loads |
| HB 3911 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the plugging or replugging of certain inactive wells subject to the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas |
| HB 3901 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to an exemption of the transfer of certain rights in water from certain disclosure requirements applicable to the transfer of certain interests in real property |
| HB 3809 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the removal of battery energy storage facilities |
| HB 3794 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the licensing and regulation of advanced practice registered nurses and the payment of independent advanced practice registered nurses in certain government employee health plans |
| HB 3746 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the exemption of certain gas and electricity from sales and use taxes |
| HB 3710 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the effect of a tax certificate accompanying a transfer of certain property |
| HB 3503 | 02/27/2025 | Relating to the Social Work Licensure Compact; authorizing fees |
| HB 3448 | 02/26/2025 | Relating to the access by a certificated telecommunications provider to the rights-of-way and poles of an electric cooperative |
| HB 3445 | 02/26/2025 | Relating to the access by a certificated telecommunications provider to the rights-of-way and pole charges of an electric cooperative |
| HB 3265 | 02/25/2025 | Relating to discriminatory practices by a health benefit plan issuer, pharmacy benefit manager, and third-party payor and certain prescription drug manufacturers, distributors, and related persons with respect to certain entities participating in a federal drug discount program; providing a civil penalty |
| HB 3250 | 02/24/2025 | Relating to the regulation of real estate appraisers and appraisal management companies |
| HB 3249 | 02/24/2025 | Relating to rules providing for certification of issues to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in contested cases referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings by the commission |
| HB 3190 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to school personnel and public school operations, including the eligibility of certain employees for unemployment compensation benefits |
| HB 3159 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to a severance tax exemption for oil and gas produced from certain previously inactive restimulation wells; providing a civil penalty |
| HB 3158 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to imposition of application fees for certain permits and permit amendments for the disposal of oil and gas waste |
| HB 3157 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to interim rates charged by electric utilities during a rate suspension period |
| HB 3156 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to fluid oil and gas waste and products and byproducts of that waste |
| HB 3126 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the election of certain entities to participate in the uniform group coverage program for active school employees; imposing a fee |
| HB 3100 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to a limit on the number of athletic scholarships that may be awarded to foreign students by a public institution of higher education |
| HB 3078 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to manufacturer fees for operation of a real-time electronic logging system to track over-the-counter sales of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or norpseudoephedrine; imposing a fee; authorizing an administrative penalty |
| HB 3069 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the approval of a certificate of convenience and necessity for certain transmission projects |
| HB 3044 | 02/19/2025 | Relating to the periodic elimination of generic transmission constraints in the ERCOT power region |
| HB 3035 | 02/19/2025 | Relating to the creation of an organized oilfield theft prevention unit within the Department of Public Safety |
| HB 2790 | 02/13/2025 | Relating to liability for capturing and storing carbon dioxide |
| HB 2730 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the authority of the chief appraiser of an appraisal district to require a person allowed an exemption from ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead to file a new application or confirm the person’s current qualification for the exemption |
| HB 2713 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the repeal of a municipal civil service system for firefighters and police officers in certain municipalities |
| HB 2712 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to test years used for ratemaking purposes by certain water and sewer utilities |
| HB 2678 | 02/11/2025 | Relating to the establishment of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Authority and a Texas nuclear permitting officer |
