By Hilderbran H.B. No. 2012 76R4571 DRH-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to requiring a defendant to compensate a county that 1-3 collects a fee, fine, restitution, or other costs through a 1-4 collection contract with a public or private vendor. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Article 103.0031, Code of Criminal Procedure, is 1-7 amended to read as follows: 1-8 Art. 103.0031. COLLECTION CONTRACTS. (a) The commissioners 1-9 court of a county may enter into a contract with a public or 1-10 private vendor for the provision of collection services for fines, 1-11 fees, restitution, and other costs ordered to be paid by a court 1-12 serving the county. 1-13 (b) A judge who requires a defendant to pay a fine, fee, 1-14 restitution, or other costs may require the defendant to pay an 1-15 administrative fee to a county if the county collects the fine, 1-16 fee, restitution, or costs through a contract entered into under 1-17 Subsection (a). The amount of the administrative fee may not 1-18 exceed the actual cost to the county of collecting from the 1-19 defendant, through the services of the public or private vendor, 1-20 the fine, fee, restitution, or costs. 1-21 (c) An administrative fee collected under this article shall 1-22 be deposited to a special account in the county treasury. Money in 1-23 the account may be used only for the provision of collection 1-24 services under this article. 2-1 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies 2-2 only to the imposition of an administrative fee on a defendant 2-3 convicted of an offense committed on or after the effective date of 2-4 this Act. For purposes of this section, an offense is committed 2-5 before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense 2-6 occurs before the effective date. 2-7 (b) The imposition of an administrative fee on a defendant 2-8 convicted of an offense committed before the effective date of this 2-9 Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, 2-10 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. 2-11 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 2-12 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 2-13 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-14 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-15 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-16 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.