Enrolled Bill Summary

Senate Bill 782 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to authorize a county commissioner's court or a municipality's governing body to contract with an outside source for the collection of debts and accounts receivable ordered paid by a court or a municipal hearing officer and of amounts in cases in which the accused has failed to appear. The bill provides that the collection fee does not apply to cases that have been dismissed or to amounts that have been satisfied through time-served credit or community service and prohibits using the fee for any purpose other than compensating those who earned the collection fee. The bill requires the court to calculate the amount of any collection fee due and requires the court to receive all fees, including the collection fee. A municipality with a population of more than 1.9 million is authorized to add a collection fee for a collection program performed by its employees.

The bill amends the Transportation Code to authorize a municipality to file an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to collect a fine, cost, or fee for a vehicle parking and stopping offense from a person who failed to appear as required by the municipality.