1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the assessment of certain court costs in criminal cases
1-3 and the use of that revenue to fund the Bill Blackwood Law
1-4 Enforcement Management Institute.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Section 415.082(a), Government Code, is amended
1-7 to read as follows:
1-8 (a) A person convicted of a criminal offense shall pay as
1-9 court costs $4 [$3.50] in addition to other taxable court costs.
1-10 These additional court costs shall be collected in the same manner
1-11 that other fines or court costs in the case are collected. Subject
1-12 to amounts retained under Section 415.083(d), the costs collected
1-13 under this subsection shall be deposited in the state treasury as
1-14 follows:
1-15 (1) $1 to the credit of the law enforcement officer
1-16 standards and education account for administrative expenses;
1-17 (2) $2 to the credit of the law enforcement officer
1-18 standards and education account for expenses related to the
1-19 continuing education of persons licensed under this chapter; and
1-20 (3) $1 [50 cents] to the credit of the Bill Blackwood
1-21 Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas fund established
1-22 under Section 96.64 [96.64(l)], Education Code.
1-23 SECTION 2. Section 96.64, Education Code, is amended by
1-24 adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
2-1 (e) The board of regents of the Texas State University
2-2 System may acquire, purchase, construct, improve, renovate,
2-3 enlarge, or equip property, buildings, structures, facilities,
2-4 roads, or related infrastructure for the institute to be financed
2-5 by the issuance of bonds in accordance with Subchapter B, Chapter
2-6 55. The board of regents may pledge irrevocably to the payment of
2-7 those bonds a portion of the proceeds of the Bill Blackwood Law
2-8 Enforcement Management Institute of Texas fund. The amount of a
2-9 pledge made under this subsection may not be reduced or abrogated
2-10 while the bonds for which the pledge is made, or bonds issued to
2-11 refund those bonds, are outstanding.
2-12 SECTION 3. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), this
2-13 Act takes effect on September 1, 1997.
2-14 (b) Section 1 of this Act takes effect only if H.B. No.
2-15 2272, 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, does not become law.
2-16 SECTION 4. The change in law made by Section 1 of this Act
2-17 applies only to a conviction of a criminal offense that occurs on
2-18 or after the effective date of this Act.
2-19 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
2-20 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-21 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-22 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-23 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 2617 was passed by the House on May
1, 1997, by a non-record vote; and that the House concurred in
Senate amendments to H.B. No. 2617 on May 25, 1997, by a non-record
vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 2617 was passed by the Senate, with
amendments, on May 23, 1997, by a viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor