§ 154.003.Responsibility of Courts and Court Administrators

One sentence, and it names who has to act.

All trial and appellate courts carry the responsibility, along with their court administrators.

Naming administrators is the practical part. Referral programs, mediator lists and scheduling are administrative work, and the section puts the duty where the work is done.

The responsibility is to carry out the policy in Section 154.002, which the section incorporates by reference rather than restating.

No mechanism is prescribed. Courts are left to build their own referral practices, which is why programs differ from county to county.

Appellate courts are included again, consistent with the definition of court in Section 154.001.

The tools follow in Subchapter B. Section 154.021 gives courts the power to refer, and Sections 154.023 through 154.027 describe what they can refer a case to.

The duty falls on courts of every level. A justice court handling small claims and a court of appeals hearing a commercial dispute carry the same responsibility.

Administrators are named because the work is administrative. Maintaining a roster of trained neutrals, tracking referrals and setting local practices is what carrying out the policy looks like day to day.

The section is short because the powers are elsewhere. It assigns responsibility and leaves the machinery to Subchapters B and C.