By Hartnett H.B. No. 1613
74R4666 PAM-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to fees collected by certain county officers.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 118.131(f), Local Government Code, is
1-5 amended to read as follows:
1-6 (f) On or before October 15 of the <each> year in which the
1-7 fees are initially set, the commissioners court shall provide
1-8 written notice of the amounts of the fees <set under this section>
1-9 to the comptroller. If the commissioners court changes the amount
1-10 of a fee set under this section, the commissioners court shall
1-11 provide to the comptroller, on or before October 15 of the year in
1-12 which the amount is changed, a written notice of the change in the
1-13 amount of the fee. Before December 15 of each year, the
1-14 comptroller shall compile the fee information provided by counties
1-15 and send the compilation to:
1-16 (1) the commissioners court of each county in this
1-17 state;
1-18 (2) any statewide association of counties or of
1-19 officers of counties that requests in writing before December 15 to
1-20 be informed; and
1-21 (3) the State Bar of Texas.
1-22 SECTION 2. Section 51.601, Government Code, is amended to
1-23 read as follows:
1-24 Sec. 51.601. Court Reporter Fee. (a) The clerk of each
2-1 court that has an official court reporter shall collect a court
2-2 reporter fee of $15 as a court cost in each civil case in which a
2-3 record of evidence presented in the case is made by the reporter.
2-4 (b) The clerk shall collect this fee in the manner provided
2-5 for other court costs and shall deposit the fee to the credit of
2-6 the office of the court reporter in a special salary fund created
2-7 in the county depository <general fund> of the county in which the
2-8 court sits.
2-9 (c) The salary fund for the office of the court reporter
2-10 shall be created and administered in the same manner as provided
2-11 for county officers by:
2-12 (1) Sections 154.023, 154.024, and 154.025, Local
2-13 Government Code, in a county with a population of 190,000 or less;
2-14 or
2-15 (2) Sections 154.042, 154.044, and 154.045, Local
2-16 Government Code, in a county with a population of more than
2-17 190,000.
2-18 (d) <(b)> This section does not apply to an action brought
2-19 to collect delinquent taxes.
2-20 SECTION 3. Section 51.702(f), Government Code, is amended to
2-21 read as follows:
2-22 (f) This section applies only to fees and costs <for a
2-23 12-month period beginning July 1> in a county in which the
2-24 commissioners court:
2-25 (1) adopts a resolution authorizing the fees and costs
2-26 under this section <for the 12-month period>; and
2-27 (2) files the resolution with the comptroller not
3-1 later than the first day of the month that <June 1> immediately
3-2 precedes the date the fees and costs become effective <preceding
3-3 the 12-month period during which the fees and costs are to be
3-4 collected>.
3-5 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
3-6 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-7 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-8 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-9 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.