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House Bill 3060 |
House Author: Pena |
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Effective: 9-1-07 |
Senate Sponsor: Watson |
The law explicitly authorizes a justice of the peace court or a municipal court to issue a "capias pro fine," which is a summons issued by the court with criminal jurisdiction in the case to have a person who owes fines and court costs brought before the court. House Bill 3060 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to define "capias" and "capias pro fine." The bill authorizes all courts with criminal jurisdiction to issue a capias pro fine and authorizes its issuance in electronic form. A defendant is required to pay a $50 fee, if such service is performed in the defendant's case, for executing or processing a capias pro fine and for processing an arrest warrant or capias if the arrest warrant or capias was not executed. The bill modifies procedures relating to the payment of fines and court costs by an indigent defendant and authorizes the waiver of payment of fines and court costs for an indigent defendant under certain conditions.