House Bill No. 1664 amends Section 74.055 of the Government Code to establish new eligibility criteria for retired or former district court judges seeking assignment as visiting judges. The bill introduces several new subsections, including (d), (f-1), and (h). Subsection (d) allows a retired or former judge to be included on the eligibility list if they certify under oath that they have not been publicly reprimanded or censured by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct in the past 15 years and have not resigned or retired under investigation for misconduct. Subsection (f-1) states that a former or retired judge is ineligible for the list only if they have been publicly identified by the Commission as having resigned or retired in lieu of discipline within the same timeframe.

Additionally, subsection (h) specifies that the new provisions in subsections (d) and (f-1) will expire on September 1, 2033. The bill is set to take effect immediately upon receiving a two-thirds vote from both houses of the legislature; otherwise, it will take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 74.055 (Government Code 74)
House Committee Report: Government Code 74.055 (Government Code 74)
Engrossed: Government Code 74.055 (Government Code 74)