By Ellis                                               S.B. No. 787
       74R6584 CAG-F
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the imposition and collection of additional court costs
    1-3  and fees in certain counties.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 51.702, Government Code, is amended by
    1-6  amending Subsections (f) and (g) and adding Subsections (h), (i),
    1-7  (j), and (k) to read as follows:
    1-8        (f)  This section applies only to fees and costs for a
    1-9  12-month period beginning July 1 in a county in which the
   1-10  commissioners court:
   1-11              (1)  adopts a resolution authorizing the fees and costs
   1-12  under this section <for the 12-month period>; and
   1-13              (2)  files the resolution with the comptroller not
   1-14  later than June 1 immediately preceding the first 12-month period
   1-15  during which the fees and costs are to be collected.
   1-16        (g)  A resolution under Subsection (f) continues from year to
   1-17  year allowing the county to collect fees and costs under the terms
   1-18  of this section until the resolution is rescinded.
   1-19        (h)  A commissioners court that desires to rescind a
   1-20  resolution adopted under Subsection (f) must submit to the
   1-21  comptroller not later than June 1 preceding the beginning of the
   1-22  first day of the state fiscal year the commissioners court desires
   1-23  to rescind the resolution.
   1-24        (i)  A county that is not eligible to participate under
    2-1  Subsection (f) on July 1 of a year but is eligible to participate
    2-2  later in the year may submit a resolution meeting the requirements
    2-3  of Subsection (f) to the comptroller.  The comptroller shall
    2-4  determine the date the county may begin to collect fees and costs
    2-5  under this section.  A county that begins to collect fees and costs
    2-6  under this section after July 1 is not eligible for a payment by
    2-7  the comptroller under Section 25.0015 until the 60th day after the
    2-8  date the comptroller determines the county may begin to collect
    2-9  fees and costs under this section.
   2-10        (j)  A clerk may not collect a fee under this section and
   2-11  under Section 51.701.
   2-12        (k)  Money collected under this section after a county ceases
   2-13  to participate in the collection of additional fees and costs under
   2-14  this section shall be remitted to the comptroller.  The money shall
   2-15  be deposited in the judicial fund and shall be distributed to
   2-16  counties currently participating under this section in the manner
   2-17  described in Section 25.0005.
   2-18        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-19  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-20  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-21  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-22  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-23  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-24  passage, and it is so enacted.