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Bill would standardize bailiff appointments, Webb County commissioner tells committee
Summary
House Bill 3104, requested by Webb County, would remove special statutory appointments for two district courts so the sheriff provides bailiffs consistently across the county; sponsor said the change would equalize pay and improve safety coordination.
Senator Creighton laid out House Bill 3104 as a local bill requested by the Webb County commissioners’ court. Commissioner John Galo testified in support, saying the measure "would strike those two courts from sec, from statute 53 and allow the sheriff’s office to provide a unified bailiff throughout the whole court system" and that the change would correct inconsistent salary ranges and improve safety coordination.
Galo told the committee that the current statutory exceptions left Webb County with four district courts but inconsistent appointment and pay authority for bailiffs, resulting in a salary range "from $38,000 to $112,000" and operational confusion. He said centralizing bailiff appointments with the sheriff would restore uniformity and ensure that peace officers follow a single chain of command in emergencies.
Committee members asked whether anyone opposed the change; no opponents testified in the record and the chair left the bill pending.
