1-1           By:  Haywood                                     S.B. No. 157

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed December 18, 1996; January 14, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental

 1-4     Relations; February 27, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0; February 27, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the reimbursement to Wilbarger County for use of the

 1-9     county attorney's office to prosecute mental health matters

1-10     involving persons residing outside the county.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 45, Government Code, is

1-13     amended by adding Section 45.344 to read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 45.344.  WILBARGER COUNTY.  The county attorney is

1-15     entitled to a fee for the prosecution of cases arising under

1-16     Chapter 574, Health and Safety Code, in which the patient or

1-17     proposed patient is a resident of a county other than Wilbarger

1-18     County.  The fee is equal to the fee paid to a court-appointed

1-19     attorney to represent the patient or proposed patient at each

1-20     hearing.  The fee shall be taxed as costs and paid from the general

1-21     fund of the county of residence of the patient or proposed patient.

1-22     Wilbarger County shall deposit the fees collected under this

1-23     section in the county fund from which the salaries of employees of

1-24     the county attorney are paid or supplemented.

1-25           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-26     applies only to hearings held on or after that date.

1-27           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-28     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-29     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-30     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-31     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-32                                  * * * * *