By:  Wentworth                                        S.B. No. 1060
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to the assessment of certain fees or costs by a justice,
    1-2  municipal, or county court.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Chapter 45, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
    1-5  amended by adding Article 45.251 to read as follows:
    1-6        Art. 45.251.  DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL IN JUSTICE COURT OR
    1-7  MUNICIPAL COURT; FAILURE TO APPEAR.  (a)  A justice or municipal
    1-8  court may order a party who demands a jury trial in a justice or
    1-9  municipal court and who fails to appear for the trial to pay the
   1-10  costs incurred for impaneling the jury.
   1-11        (b)  The justice or municipal court may release a party from
   1-12  the obligation to pay costs under this section for good cause.
   1-13        (c)  An order issued by a justice or municipal court under
   1-14  this section may be enforced by contempt as prescribed by Section
   1-15  21.002(c), Government Code.
   1-16        SECTION 2.  Subsection (a), Article 102.004, Code of Criminal
   1-17  Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
   1-18        (a)  A defendant convicted by a jury in a trial before a
   1-19  justice court shall pay a jury fee of $3.  A defendant in a justice
   1-20  court who requests a trial by jury and who withdraws the request
   1-21  not earlier than 24 hours before the time of trial shall pay a jury
   1-22  fee of $3, if the defendant is convicted of the offense or final
   1-23  disposition of the defendant's case is deferred.  A defendant
   1-24  convicted by a jury in a county court, a county court at law, or a
    2-1  district court shall pay a jury fee of $20.
    2-2        SECTION 3.  Chapter 30, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, is
    2-3  amended by adding Section 30.007 to read as follows:
    2-4        Sec. 30.007.  DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL IN JUSTICE COURT; FAILURE
    2-5  TO APPEAR.  (a) A justice court may order a party who demands a
    2-6  jury trial in a justice court and who fails to appear for the trial
    2-7  to pay the costs incurred for impaneling the jury.
    2-8        (b)  The justice court may release a party from the
    2-9  obligation to pay costs under this section for good cause.
   2-10        (c)  An order issued by a justice court under this section
   2-11  may be enforced by contempt as prescribed by Section 21.002(c),
   2-12  Government Code.
   2-13        SECTION 4.  Article 102.003, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
   2-14  repealed.
   2-15        SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   2-16        SECTION 6.  (a)  The change in law made by Sections 2 and 4
   2-17  of this Act applies only to a fee imposed on conviction for an
   2-18  offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.  For
   2-19  the purposes of this section, an offense is committed before the
   2-20  effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
   2-21  before that date.  A fee imposed on conviction for an offense
   2-22  committed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the
   2-23  law in effect when the offense was committed, and the former law is
   2-24  continued in effect for that purpose.
   2-25        (b)  The change in law made by Sections 1 and 3 of this Act
   2-26  applies only to a proceeding that is commenced in a justice or
   2-27  municipal court on or after the effective date of this Act.  A
    3-1  proceeding that commences in a justice or municipal court before
    3-2  the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect
    3-3  when the proceeding commenced, and the former law is continued in
    3-4  effect for that purpose.
    3-5        SECTION 7.  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.