By Hamric H.B. No. 1317
74R4251 CAG-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to court reporter service fees.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 51.601, Government Code, is amended to
1-5 read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 51.601. COURT REPORTER SERVICE FEE. (a) The clerk of
1-7 each court that has an official court reporter shall collect a
1-8 court reporter service fee of $15 as a court cost in each civil
1-9 case filed with the clerk to maintain a court reporter who is
1-10 available for assignment in the court <in which a record of
1-11 evidence presented in the case is made by the reporter>.
1-12 (b) The clerk shall collect this fee in the manner provided
1-13 for other court costs and shall deliver the fee to the county
1-14 treasurer <deposit the fee to the credit of the general fund> of
1-15 the county in which the court sits. The county treasurer shall
1-16 deposit the fees received into the court reporter service fund.
1-17 (c) The commissioners court of the county shall administer
1-18 the court reporter service fund to assist in the payment of court
1-19 reporter-related services, including maintaining an adequate number
1-20 of court reporters to provide services to the courts, obtaining
1-21 court reporter transcription services, closed-caption transcription
1-22 machines, Braille transcription services, or other transcription
1-23 services to comply with state or federal laws, or providing any
1-24 other service related to the functions of a court reporter.
2-1 (d) The commissioners court shall, in administering the
2-2 court reporter service fund, assist any court in which a case is
2-3 filed that requires the payment of the court reporter service fee.
2-4 (e) <(b)> This section does not apply to an action brought
2-5 to collect delinquent taxes.
2-6 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995, and
2-7 applies only to a case filed with the clerk of a court that has an
2-8 official court reporter on or after the effective date of this Act.
2-9 A case filed with the clerk of a court before the effective date of
2-10 this Act is governed by the law as it existed immediately before
2-11 the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect
2-12 for that purpose.
2-13 SECTION 3. 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.