1-1           By:  Brown                                       S.B. No. 174

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 8, 1997; January 15, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;

 1-4     February 26, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas

 1-5     7, Nays 0; February 26, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to a fee collected by a prosecutor for collecting and

 1-9     processing a dishonored or forged check or similar sight order.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subsection (c), Article 102.007, Code of Criminal

1-12     Procedure, is amended to read as follows:

1-13           (c)  The amount of the fee may not exceed:

1-14                 (1)  [$5 if the face amount of the check or sight order

1-15     does not exceed $10;]

1-16                 [(2)]  $10 if the face amount of the check or sight

1-17     order [is greater than $10 but] does not exceed $100;

1-18                 (2) [(3)]  $30 if the face amount of the check or sight

1-19     order is greater than $100 but does not exceed $300;

1-20                 (3) [(4)]  $50 if the face amount of the check or sight

1-21     order is greater than $300 but does not exceed $500; and

1-22                 (4) [(5)]  $75 if the face amount of the check or sight

1-23     order is greater than $500.

1-24           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-25     applies only to a check or sight order issued on or after that

1-26     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                                  * * * * *