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Senate Bill 346 |
Senate Author: Zaffirini et al. |
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Effective: 1-1-20 |
House Sponsor: Leach et al. |
Senate Bill 346 amends the Alcoholic Beverage Code, Business & Commerce Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, Family Code, Government Code, Health and Safety Code, Human Resources Code, Local Government Code, Parks and Wildlife Code, and Transportation Code to consolidate certain court costs and fees and to change certain other court costs and fees. Among other provisions, the bill eliminates certain court costs and fees imposed on a defendant convicted of a criminal offense, increases the consolidated court costs required to be paid to the comptroller of public accounts by such a defendant, and revises the prescribed manner of allocating such consolidated court costs. The bill also provides for the consolidation and standard collection of fees payable to a local government in criminal matters; requires a defendant convicted of a criminal offense to pay a local consolidated court cost, ranging from $14 to $123 depending on the level of the offense; and provides for the allocation of those costs to specified accounts and funds. The bill reclassifies certain fees, court costs, and other payments as fines or reimbursement fees, as applicable, and provides for the reconsideration of fines and costs imposed on a defendant if the defendant has difficulty in paying the fines and costs.