1-1  By:  Denny, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Brown)            H.B. No. 839
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House March 15, 1995;
    1-3  March 16, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on State
    1-4  Affairs; March 29, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:
    1-5  Yeas 10, Nays 2; March 29, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to imposing a limitation on the amount of special expenses
    1-9  that certain municipalities may retain from amounts collected in
   1-10  certain court proceedings.
   1-11        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-12        SECTION 1.  Section 144(b), Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on
   1-13  Highways (Article 6701d, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended
   1-14  to read as follows:
   1-15        (b)  In each fiscal year, a municipality may retain, from
   1-16  fines collected for violation of any highway law as set forth in
   1-17  this Act and from special expenses collected under Article 45.54,
   1-18  Code of Criminal Procedure, in cases in which such violation is
   1-19  alleged, an amount equal to 30 percent of the municipality's
   1-20  revenue for the preceding fiscal year from all sources, other than
   1-21  federal funds and bond proceeds, as shown by the audit performed
   1-22  under Section 103.001, Local Government Code.  After a municipality
   1-23  has retained that amount, the municipality shall send to the state
   1-24  treasurer any portion of a fine or special expense collected that
   1-25  exceeds one dollar ($1).  The state treasurer shall deposit funds
   1-26  received under this section in the state treasury to the credit of
   1-27  the general revenue fund.
   1-28        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-29  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-30  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-31  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-32  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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