78th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, House Bill 4, Chapter 204 Page: 14 of 133

                                
H.B. No. 4
1   other law to the contrary, a judge who is qualified and authorized
2   by law to preside in the court to which an action is transferred
3   under this subchapter may preside over the transferred action as if
4   the transferred action were originally filed in the transferor
5   court.
6         SECTION 3.03. Section 15.003, Civil Practice and Remedies
7   Code, is amended to read as follows:
8         Sec. 15.003. MULTIPLE     PLAINTIFFS    AND     INTERVENING
9   PLAINTIFFS. (a) In a suit in which there is [w-:hee] more than one
10   plaintiff, whether the plaintiffs are included by joinder, by
11   intervention, because the lawsuit was begun by more than one
12   plaintiff, or   otherwise, [    j] each       plaintiff  must,
13   independently of every [an~ ] other plaintiff, establish proper
14   venue. If a plaintiff cannot independently [Anx ;c.s    who is
15   unable t] establish proper venue, that plaintiff's part of the
16   suit, including all of that plaintiff's claims and causes of
17   action, must be transferred to a county of proper venue or
18   dismissed, as is appropriate, [m  not j       maintain ... far
19   th aut ac      plaintI] unless that plaintiff [the-ew een    ,
20   independently of every [anc ] other plaintiff, establishes that:
21              (1) joinder of that plaintiff or intervention in the
22   suit- by that plaintiff is proper under the Texas Rules of Civil
23   Procedure;
24              (2) maintaining venue as to that plaintiff in the
25   county of suit does not unfairly prejudice another party to the
26   suit;
27              (3) there is an essential need to have that plaintiff's

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