SB 496
all Potter County courts at law get limited felony jurisdiction
Died in committee
Verdict: No flags
Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade
Caption
relating to the jurisdiction of a county court at law in Potter County.
Caption from analyzed text · version I.
Summary
Not just County Court at Law No. 1 anymore.
The bill extends limited felony-case jurisdiction to all county courts at law in Potter County, not just County Court at Law No. 1. Those courts may now hold arraignments, run pretrial hearings, and take pleas in uncontested felony matters alongside the district court. The change takes effect September 1, 2025, and only Potter County's courts are affected.
Labels
Labels: QUICK READ: 113 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 113 words, counting the existing law it amends and the text it strikes. The median 89R bill as filed runs 441 words (derived, 8,702 graded bills, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Nov 22, 2024 and referred to the Senate Jurisprudence committee. No public hearing. The bill died.
Receipt
The receipt
89R-SB496 · 2024-11-22
SOLD BY
ITEM
relating to the jurisdiction of a county court at law in Potter County.
WHAT IT DOES
Not just County Court at Law No. 1 anymore.
The bill extends limited felony-case jurisdiction to all county courts at law in Potter County, not just County Court at Law No. 1. Those courts may now hold arraignments, run pretrial hearings, and take pleas in uncontested felony matters alongside the district court. The change takes effect September 1, 2025, and only Potter County's courts are affected.
CHARGES
[ ] NONE FOUND
TOTAL
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
HISTORY
- Received by the Secretary of the Senate
- Filed
- Read first time
- Referred to Jurisprudence
FILED UNDER
No verified beat found.
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
Donors
Not tied to this bill.
Sources
The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.
Derived itemized flow · Jul 25, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$60,000.00
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
$60,000.00
- Cash
- $60,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $60,000.00
Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101012623, 101029380, 101072732.
Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
$60,000.00
- Cash
- $60,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $60,000.00
Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101012623, 101029380, 101072732.
Votes
No floor vote loaded for this bill.
Fiscal
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
How this was graded
Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.
Sources
Texas Senate · Filed Nov 22, 2024
02/03/2025 S Referred to Jurisprudence
Texas Legislature Online · Introduced
Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.
Senate committee · Jurisprudence · Final status: Died in committee
Companion
HB 2360 by Fairly (identical)
Subjects
POTTER COUNTY
Courts--County & Statutory
Courts--District
Family--General
Text
The text as introduced · 113 words
89R4935 BCH-D By: Sparks S.B. No. 496 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the jurisdiction of a county court at law in Potter County. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 25.1902(b-1), Government Code, is amended to read as follows: (b-1) In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Subsections (a) and (b), the county courts at law in [ County Court at Law No. 1 of ] Potter County have [ has ] concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in felony cases to conduct arraignments, conduct pretrial hearings, and accept pleas in uncontested matters. SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.