85R10494 SRS-F     By: Capriglione H.B. No. 3785       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to associate judges and court reporters for certain family   law cases and proceedings.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 201.004, Family Code, is amended by   adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:          (e)  A resident of the county served by the associate judge   may file with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct a petition   for removal of the associate judge. If the commission finds the   associate judge abused the judge's discretion or acted in bad faith   against a party before the associate judge, the commission may   terminate the employment of the associate judge for the court   served by the associate judge. An associate judge's employment   termination does not prevent a de novo appeal of the associate   judge's ruling to any district court in the county.          SECTION 2.  Section 201.009, Family Code, is amended to read   as follows:          Sec. 201.009.  COURT REPORTER; RECORD. In [(a) A court   reporter may be provided during] a hearing held by an associate   judge appointed under this chapter, a court reporter must be   provided or the proceedings must be recorded with a good quality   electronic audio recording device. [A court reporter is required   to be provided when the associate judge presides over a jury trial   or a contested final termination hearing.          [(b)     A party, the associate judge, or the referring court   may provide for a reporter during the hearing, if one is not   otherwise provided.          [(c)     Except as provided by Subsection (a), in the absence of   a court reporter or on agreement of the parties, the record may be   preserved by any means approved by the associate judge.          [(d)     The referring court or associate judge may tax the   expense of preserving the record under Subsection (c) as costs.          [(e)     On a request for a de novo hearing, the referring court   may consider testimony or other evidence in the record in addition   to witnesses or other matters presented under Section 201.015.]          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.