HB 1869 - State District Courts Summary

• Establishes state district courts by reorganizing existing pilot district courts and converting local district courts to state-funded operations with full-time judges in phases from 2013 through 2017

• Designates 15 numbered judicial districts (First, Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, Tenth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, Twentieth, Twenty-Fourth, Thirty-First, Thirty-Second, Thirty-Fourth, and Thirty-Seventh) composed of specific counties with defined departments and judge allocations

• Implements phased expansion creating additional districts effective January 1, 2013 (including Fifth, Ninth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Sixteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-First, and Twenty-Third) and January 1, 2017 (including Second, Third, Seventh, Fifteenth, Twenty-Second, Twenty-Sixth, Twenty-Seventh, Twenty-Eighth, Twenty-Ninth, Thirty-Sixth, Thirty-Ninth, Fortieth, and Forty-First districts)

• Requires cost-sharing where counties and municipalities pay one-half of the base salary for state district court judges, calculated based on their proportionate share of previous district and city court judge salaries

• Mandates state payment of full salaries and benefits for state district court judges from the Constitutional Officers Fund, with judges elected district-wide and having district-wide jurisdiction