1-1  By:  Hirschi (Senate Sponsor - Haywood)               H.B. No. 2725
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1995;
    1-3  April 25, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on
    1-4  Jurisprudence; May 3, 1995, reported favorably by the following
    1-5  vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 3, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to the reimbursement to Wichita County for use of its
    1-9  criminal district attorneys office and prosecutors for prosecuting
   1-10  out-of-county mental health matters.
   1-11        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-12        SECTION 1.  Section 44.343, Government Code, is amended to
   1-13  read as follows:
   1-14        Sec. 44.343.  Wichita County.  (a)  The criminal district
   1-15  attorney shall represent the state in all matters in the district
   1-16  and inferior courts in the county.  The criminal district attorney
   1-17  shall perform the other duties that are conferred by general law on
   1-18  district and county attorneys.
   1-19        (b)  The criminal district attorney shall collect the fees,
   1-20  commissions, and perquisites that are provided by law for similar
   1-21  services rendered by a district or county attorney.  Additionally,
   1-22  the criminal district attorney is entitled to be reimbursed a
   1-23  reasonable fee for prosecuting cases arising under Chapter 574,
   1-24  Health and Safety Code, in which the patient or proposed patient is
   1-25  a resident of a county other than Wichita County.  Said fee is to
   1-26  be taxed as costs and is to be paid by the county of residence of
   1-27  the patient or proposed patient.  "Reasonable fee" as used herein
   1-28  shall mean an amount equal to the fee ordered by the Court for any
   1-29  attorney court-appointed to represent the patient or proposed
   1-30  patient at each hearing.  Fees collected under this section shall
   1-31  be deposited in the account from which Wichita County assistant
   1-32  criminal district attorneys are paid.
   1-33        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-34        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-35  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-36  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-37  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-38  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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