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Texas Municipal
Courts Association NOTICES |
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page will contain the Notices, Announcements, and Bulletins of general interest
to the members and supporters of the Texas Municipal Courts Association. As well
as to provide information, TMCA will also use this forum to request input from
the membership to aid the Board of Directors in planning for the Association.
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ANNUAL
MEETING
FY08 BOARD MEETINGS Following are the dates and hotel sites for the FY07-08 TMCA Board
Meetings. January 11-12, 2008 (Austin) OFFICERS Candidate Votes 1st Vice
President 2nd Vice President Secretary Treasurer (1 yr. term) REGIONAL DIRECTORS Region 1 Region 3 Region 5 Region 7 Region
9
Proposition
1 For 337 Proposition 2 For 359 FEE
FOR SUPPORT OF COURT-RELATED PURPOSES (effective 12/1/05) A new law went into effect that will not be appearing in any of the code books - Article 133.105, Local Government Code: 133.105. Fee for Support of Court-Related Purposes (a) A person convicted of any offense, other than an offense relating to a pedestrian or the parking of a motor vehicle, shall pay as a court cost, in addition to all other costs, a fee of $4 to be used for court-related purposes for the support of the judiciary. (b) The treasurer shall deposit 60 cents of each fee collected under this section in the general fund of the municipality or county to promote the efficient operation of the municipal or county courts and the investigation, prosecution, and enforcement of offenses that are within the jurisdiction of the courts. (c) The treasurer shall remit the remainder of the fees collected under this section to the comptroller in the manner provided by Subchapter B. The comptroller shall deposit the fees in the judicial fund. Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 3, Sect. 12, Eff. Dec. 1, 2005. |
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| MANDATORY TRAINING Municipal judges are reminded that they are required to comply with the Rules of Judicial Education, promulgated by the Court of Criminal Appeals. According to these Rules, all municipal judges must attend one accredited seminar every year. Newly appointed or elected attorney judges must attend a Texas Municipal Courts Education Center (TMCEC) 12-hour seminar within one year from appointment or election and once every school year thereafter. Newly appointed or elected non-attorney judges must, within one year from the date of appointment or election, complete 32 hours of continuing judicial education from TMCEC before attending a 12-hour seminar the next year and once every school year thereafter. After two years of TMCEC training, judges may opt-out every other year by attending a course offered by an approved provider.
The academic year for the Center and municipal judges is September 1, 2007 through August 31, 2008. Judges who have been on the bench longer than one year must attend an approved seminar for judicial education credit regardless of birthdate or date of appointment. For the attorney judges, this is a different reporting year than the State Bars MCLE Rules, which are based on birthdate.
After review by the Municipal Courts Education Committee, the names of judges who do not comply with these Rules are submitted by TMCEC to the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Court of Criminal Appeals then forwards the names onto the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. In the past, both public and private reprimands have been issued to judges who failed to comply. The Committee does not accept excuses such as schedule conflict, the clerk doesnt forward my mail, and I didnt know that the training was mandatory as viable reasons for receiving a waiver. TMCEC programs and the approved alternative programs are offered every month of the year. Experience judges have 12-14 TMCEC programs to select from that are rotated in difference cities across the State.
Judges: Please register for a program. Clerks: Please remind your judges of the requirements, especially new judges when they are sworn in. |