OCA | Mandatory Education Hours for Court Coordinators

Mandatory Education Hours for Court Coordinators
(District and Statutory County Courts)



Court coordinators of district and statutory county courts are required to complete 16 hours of continuing education each year, except as otherwise provided by statute or the Rules of Education promulgated by the Court of Criminal Appeals. See applicable statute and rule below.

When a court coordinator attends an approved continuing education program, the coordinator will submit a form provided by the Texas Center for the Judiciary ("Texas Center") to the Texas Center documenting the hours attended. The Texas Center is responsible for tracking the education hours of court coordinators.

Section 74.106 of the Texas Government Code provides:
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/

§ 74.106 CONTINUING EDUCATION

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a court coordinator of a district court or statutory county court shall annually complete 16 hours of continuing education as provided by rules adopted by the court of criminal appeals under Chapter 56.

(b) The court of criminal appeals may not require a court coordinator to complete continuing education instruction during a year in which the judge or commissioners court of the county employing the court coordinator certifies to the court of criminal appeals that state and local funds are not available for the court coordinator’s continuing education.

Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 45, §3, eff. Sept. 1, 1997

and Rule 6 of the Rules of Judicial Education promulgated by the Court of Criminal Appeals provides:

RULE 6. COURT COORDINATORS

(a) Each court coordinator of a district or statutory county court shall annually complete 16 hours of continuing education, unless the court coordinator files with the Texas Center for the Judiciary, Inc., the prescribed form, signed by the judge or commissioners court of the county employing the court coordinator, certifying that state and local funds are not available for the court coordinator's continuing education.

CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS

A number of organizations provide education programs that can be utilized to satisfy the continuing education hours requirement. Rules 2.b. and 6 of the Rules of Education provide a list of those organizations.

  1. The Texas Association for Court Administration - http://www.mytaca.org
  2. The Office of Court Administration - http://www.courts.state.tx.us/oca/
  3. The National Association for Court Administration - http://www.nacmnet.org
  4. Institute for Court Management of the National Center for State Courts - www.ncsconline.org/D_ICM/icmindex.html
  5. The Justice Management Institute - http://www.jmijustice.org
  6. A state college or university or college community college.
  7. A program sponsored by a local court administrative office and approved by the local administrative judge or local presiding judge.
  8. Other programs as approved by the Court of Criminal Appeals Education Committee (Judicial Advisory Committee, Texas Center Board of Directors.)
  9. Rural Association for Court Administration (RACA)
    Attn: Debbie Elmore, President
    County Court at Law No. 2
    Johnson County
    Telephone: (817) 556-6088
    Fax: (817) 556-6190
    Email: Deborah@johnsoncountytx.org
    Mailing Address for RACA: 110 E. MLK #108A, San Marcos, Texas 78666
  10. Sam Houston State University - www.cmitonline.org
  11. Upcoming Conferences [pdf]
 

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Updated: 01-Oct-2010

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