By Kamel, Park, Dear, et al.                           H.B. No. 120
       74R494 GWK-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the imposition of a fee on a defendant who requests
    1-3  participation in a teen court program.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 54.032, Family Code, is amended by adding
    1-6  Subsection (g) to read as follows:
    1-7        (g)  In addition to the fee authorized by Subsection (e), the
    1-8  court may require a child who requests a teen court program to pay
    1-9  a $10 fee to cover the cost to the teen court for performing its
   1-10  duties under this section.  The court shall pay the fee to the teen
   1-11  court program, and the teen court program must account to the court
   1-12  for the receipt and disbursal of the fee.  A child who pays a fee
   1-13  under this subsection is not entitled to a refund of the fee,
   1-14  regardless of whether the child successfully completes the teen
   1-15  court program.
   1-16        SECTION 2.  Article 45.55, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
   1-17  amended by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
   1-18        (g)  In addition to the fee authorized by Subsection (e) of
   1-19  this article, the court may require a child who requests a teen
   1-20  court program to pay a $10 fee to cover the cost to the teen court
   1-21  for performing its duties under this article.  The court shall pay
   1-22  the fee to the teen court program, and the teen court program must
   1-23  account to the court for the receipt and disbursal of the fee.  A
   1-24  child who pays a fee under this subsection is not entitled to a
    2-1  refund of the fee, regardless of whether the child successfully
    2-2  completes the teen court program.
    2-3        SECTION 3.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
    2-4  only to a child charged with an offense committed on or after the
    2-5  effective date of this Act.  For purposes of this section, an
    2-6  offense is committed before the effective date of this Act if any
    2-7  element of the offense occurs before the effective date.
    2-8        (b)  A child charged with an offense committed before the
    2-9  effective date of this Act is covered by the law in effect when the
   2-10  offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect
   2-11  for this purpose.
   2-12        SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   2-13        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-14  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-15  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-16  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-17  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.