By Gutierrez                                           H.B. No. 654
         76R893 CAG-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to collection and use of the fee for a marriage license or
 1-3     a declaration of informal marriage.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 118.011(a), Local Government Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  A county clerk shall collect the following fees for
 1-8     services rendered to any person:
 1-9                 (1)  Personal Property Records Filing (Sec. 118.012)
1-10                      ........................................... $ 2.00
1-11                 (2)  Real Property Records Filing (Sec. 118.013):
1-12                      for the first page ........................ $ 3.00
1-13                      for  each  additional  page  or  part  of  a  page
1-14                      on  which there are visible  marks  of  any  kind
1-15                      ........................................... $ 2.00
1-16                      for  all  or  part  of each 8-1/2"  X  14"
1-17                      attachment or rider ....................... $ 2.00
1-18                      for  each  name in  excess of five names that has
1-19                      to be indexed in all records in which the document
1-20                      must be indexed ........................... $ 0.25
1-21                 (3)  Certified Papers (Sec. 118.014):
1-22                      for the clerk's certificate ............... $ 5.00
1-23                      plus  a  fee  for  each  page  or  part  of  a
1-24                      page ...................................... $ 1.00
 2-1                 (4)  Noncertified Papers (Sec. 118.0145):
 2-2                      for each page or part of a page ........... $ 1.00
 2-3                 (5)  Birth or Death Certificate (Sec. 118.015) ........
 2-4                      same as state registrar
 2-5                 (6)  Bond Approval (Sec. 118.016) .............. $ 3.00
 2-6                 (7)  Marriage License (Sec.  118.018)
 2-7                      ................................ $ 30.00 [$ 25.00]
 2-8                 (8)  Declaration  of  Informal Marriage   (Sec.
 2-9                      118.019) ....................... $ 30.00 [$ 25.00]
2-10                 (9)  Brand Registration (Sec. 118.020) ......... $ 5.00
2-11                 (10)  Oath Administration (Sec. 118.021) ....... $ 1.00
2-12           SECTION 2.  Section 118.022, Local Government Code, is
2-13     amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
2-14           (c)  The amount of $5 of each fee collected for the issuance
2-15     of a marriage license or declaration of informal marriage shall be
2-16     deposited in a family violence prevention account in the county
2-17     treasury.  The account may be used by the commissioners court of
2-18     the county only to fund or assist persons providing shelter or
2-19     services to victims of family violence.
2-20           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, and
2-21     applies only to a fee collected  for the issuance of a marriage
2-22     license or declaration of informal marriage  on or after the
2-23     effective date of this Act. A fee collected  for the issuance of a
2-24     marriage license or declaration of informal marriage before the
2-25     effective date of this Act is governed by the law as it existed
2-26     immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is
2-27     continued in effect for that purpose.
 3-1           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
 3-2     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 3-3     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-4     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-5     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.