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Senate Bill 1373 |
Senate Author: Zaffirini |
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Effective: 9-1-21 |
House Sponsor: White et al. |
Senate Bill 1373 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to make certain changes relating to the imposition and collection of fines, fees, and court costs in criminal cases. The bill requires a court's inquiry regarding a defendant's ability to pay fines and costs to take place on the record and revises certain definitions of "cost" to clarify that the term includes any fee imposed on a defendant by the court regardless of when the fee is imposed. The bill makes the procedures for designating a fee as uncollectible if it has been unpaid for at least 15 years or the defendant is deceased or serving a life sentence applicable to fines also.