By Madla                                        S.B. No. 1215

      75R8990 MWV-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to personal bond offices and certain fees collected by

 1-3     personal bond offices.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Article 17.03, Code of Criminal Procedure, is

 1-6     amended by adding Subsections (h) and (i) to read as follows:

 1-7           (h)  A defendant who is released on personal bond shall:

 1-8                 (1)  report to the personal bond office each week as

 1-9     directed by the personal bond office; and

1-10                 (2)  pay $5 each week to the personal bond office.

1-11           (i)  Fees collected as provided by Subsection (h) of this

1-12     article shall be used to pay expenses of the personal bond office.

1-13           SECTION 2.  Article 17.04, Code of Criminal Procedure, is

1-14     amended to read as follows:

1-15           Art. 17.04.  REQUISITES OF A PERSONAL BOND.  A personal bond

1-16     is sufficient if it includes the requisites of a bail bond as set

1-17     out in Article 17.08, except that no sureties are required.  In

1-18     addition, a personal bond shall contain:

1-19                 (1)  the defendant's name, address, and place of

1-20     employment;

1-21                 (2)  identification information, including the

1-22     defendant's:

1-23                       (A)  date and place of birth;

1-24                       (B)  height, weight, and color of hair and eyes;

 2-1                       (C)  driver's license number and state of

 2-2     issuance, if any; and

 2-3                       (D)  nearest relative's name and address, if any;

 2-4     and

 2-5                 (3)  the following oath sworn and signed by the

 2-6     defendant:

 2-7           "I swear that I will appear before (the court or magistrate)

 2-8     at (address, city, county) Texas, on the (date), at the hour of

 2-9     (time, a.m. or p.m.) or upon notice by the court, or pay to the

2-10     court the principal sum of (amount) plus all necessary and

2-11     reasonable expenses incurred in any arrest for failure to appear.

2-12           "I further swear that I will report to the personal bond

2-13     office as directed each week during the time that I am subject to

2-14     the bond.  I will pay a supervisory fee of  $5 each week at the

2-15     time I report to the personal bond office."

2-16           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

2-17     applies to a defendant released on personal bond on or after that

2-18     date.  A defendant released on personal bond before the effective

2-19     date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the

2-20     defendant was released on the bond, and that law is continued in

2-21     effect for that purpose.

2-22           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-25     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-26     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.