By:  Brown                                    S.B. No. 174

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to a fee collected by a prosecutor for collecting and

 1-2     processing a dishonored or forged check or similar sight order.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subsection (c), Article 102.007, Code of Criminal

 1-5     Procedure, is amended to read as follows:

 1-6           (c)  The amount of the fee may not exceed:

 1-7                 (1)  [$5 if the face amount of the check or sight order

 1-8     does not exceed $10;]

 1-9                 [(2)]  $10 if the face amount of the check or sight

1-10     order [is greater than $10 but] does not exceed $100;

1-11                 (2) [(3)]  $30 if the face amount of the check or sight

1-12     order is greater than $100 but does not exceed $300;

1-13                 (3) [(4)]  $50 if the face amount of the check or sight

1-14     order is greater than $300 but does not exceed $500; and

1-15                 (4) [(5)]  $75 if the face amount of the check or sight

1-16     order is greater than $500.

1-17           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-18     applies only to a check or sight order issued on or after that

1-19     date.

1-20           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.