1-1 By: Kamel, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Sibley) H.B. No. 120 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1995; 1-3 April 24, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Criminal Justice; May 22, 1995, reported favorably by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 22, 1995, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the imposition of a fee on a defendant who requests 1-9 participation in a teen court program. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Section 54.032, Family Code, is amended by adding 1-12 Subsection (g) to read as follows: 1-13 (g) In addition to the fee authorized by Subsection (e), the 1-14 court may require a child who requests a teen court program to pay 1-15 a $10 fee to cover the cost to the teen court for performing its 1-16 duties under this section. The court shall pay the fee to the teen 1-17 court program, and the teen court program must account to the court 1-18 for the receipt and disbursal of the fee. A child who pays a fee 1-19 under this subsection is not entitled to a refund of the fee, 1-20 regardless of whether the child successfully completes the teen 1-21 court program. 1-22 SECTION 2. Article 45.55, Code of Criminal Procedure, is 1-23 amended by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows: 1-24 (g) In addition to the fee authorized by Subsection (e) of 1-25 this article, the court may require a child who requests a teen 1-26 court program to pay a $10 fee to cover the cost to the teen court 1-27 for performing its duties under this article. The court shall pay 1-28 the fee to the teen court program, and the teen court program must 1-29 account to the court for the receipt and disbursal of the fee. A 1-30 child who pays a fee under this subsection is not entitled to a 1-31 refund of the fee, regardless of whether the child successfully 1-32 completes the teen court program. 1-33 SECTION 3. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies 1-34 only to a child charged with an offense committed on or after the 1-35 effective date of this Act. For purposes of this section, an 1-36 offense is committed before the effective date of this Act if any 1-37 element of the offense occurs before the effective date. 1-38 (b) A child charged with an offense committed before the 1-39 effective date of this Act is covered by the law in effect when the 1-40 offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect 1-41 for this purpose. 1-42 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995. 1-43 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the 1-44 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-45 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-46 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-47 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-48 * * * * *