HBA-LCA H.B. 2705 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2705 By: Gallego Judicial Affairs 4/15/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Judicial Court Personnel Training Fund (fund) pays for continuing legal education (CLE) for judges and court personnel. However, current law does not provide funding for every judicial position. Since the fund's creation in 1985 by the 69th Legislature, the roles of associate judges, Title IV-D masters, and referees have broadened. H.B. 2705 increases, from $1 to $2, the court cost imposed upon conviction of a criminal offense, and provides that associate judges, Title IV-D masters, and referees may receive funds for CLE. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 56.001(b), Government Code, to increase, from $1 to $2, the amount a person convicted of a criminal offense must pay as a court cost. SECTION 2. Amends Section 56.003(b), Government Code, to include full-time associate judges appointed under Section 201.001, Family Code (Associate Judge; Child Support Master), and fulltime masters, magistrates, referees, and associate judges appointed under Chapter 54, Family Code (Masters; Magistrates; Referees), among the persons for whose continuing legal education up to onethird of the funds appropriated for any fiscal year may be used. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999. Makes application of SECTION 1 this Act prospective. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.