H.B. No. 569
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to credit toward payment of a fine and costs for certain
  misdemeanants confined in jail or prison before sentencing.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  This Act may be cited as the Bonton Farms Act.
         SECTION 2.  Article 45.014(e), Code of Criminal Procedure,
  as added by Chapter 1127 (S.B. 1913), Acts of the 85th Legislature,
  Regular Session, 2017, is amended to read as follows:
         (e)  A justice or judge may not issue an arrest warrant for
  the defendant's failure to appear at the initial court setting,
  including failure to appear as required by a citation issued under
  Article 14.06(b), unless:
               (1)  the justice or judge provides by telephone or
  regular mail to the defendant notice that includes:
                     (A)  a date and time, occurring within the 30-day
  period following the date that notice is provided, when the
  defendant must appear before the justice or judge;
                     (B)  the name and address of the court with
  jurisdiction in the case;
                     (C)  information regarding alternatives to the
  full payment of any fine or costs owed by the defendant, if the
  defendant is unable to pay that amount;
                     (D)  a statement that the defendant may be
  entitled to a credit toward any fine or costs owed by the defendant
  if the defendant was confined in jail or prison after the commission
  of the offense for which the notice is given; and
                     (E) [(D)]  an explanation of the consequences if
  the defendant fails to appear before the justice or judge as
  required by this article; and
               (2)  the defendant fails to appear before the justice
  or judge as required by this article.
         SECTION 3.  Article 45.041, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to
  read as follows:
         (c)  The justice or judge shall credit the defendant for time
  served in jail as provided by Article 42.03.  The credit under this
  subsection shall be applied to the amount of the fine and costs at
  the rate provided by Article 45.048.
         (c-1)  In addition to credit under Subsection (c), in  
  imposing a fine and costs in a case involving a misdemeanor
  punishable by a fine only, the justice or judge shall credit the
  defendant for any time the defendant was confined in jail or prison
  while serving a sentence for another offense if that confinement
  occurred after the commission of the misdemeanor.  The credit under
  this subsection shall be applied to the amount of the fine and costs
  at the rate of not less than $150 for each day of confinement.
         SECTION 4.  Article 45.048, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Art. 45.048.  DISCHARGED FROM JAIL. (a) A defendant placed
  in jail on account of failure to pay the fine and costs shall be
  discharged on habeas corpus by showing that the defendant:
               (1)  is too poor to pay the fine and costs; or
               (2)  has remained in jail a sufficient length of time to
  satisfy the fine and costs, at the rate of not less than $150 [$100]
  for each period served, as specified by the convicting court in the
  judgment in the case.
         (b)  A convicting court may specify a period that is not less
  than eight hours or more than 24 hours as the period for which a
  defendant who fails to pay the fine and costs in the case must
  remain in jail to satisfy $150 [$100] of the fine and costs.
         SECTION 5.  Article 45.014(e), Code of Criminal Procedure,
  as added by Chapter 977 (H.B. 351), Acts of the 85th Legislature,
  Regular Session, 2017, is repealed.
         SECTION 6.  Article 45.041(c-1), Code of Criminal Procedure,
  as added by this Act, applies to a defendant who is sentenced for an
  offense on or after the effective date of this Act, regardless of
  whether the offense is committed before, on, or after the effective
  date of this Act.
         SECTION 7.  Article 45.048, Code of Criminal Procedure, as
  amended by this Act, applies to a defendant who is placed in jail on
  or after the effective date of this Act for failure to pay the fine
  and costs imposed on conviction of an offense, regardless of
  whether the offense for which the defendant was convicted was
  committed before, on, or after the effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 8.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 569 was passed by the House on April
  14, 2021, by the following vote:  Yeas 148, Nays 1, 1 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 569 on May 18, 2021, by the following vote:  Yeas 144, Nays 0, 1
  present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 569 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 13, 2021, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays
  0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor