By Farabee H.B. No. 2496 76R7540 DRH-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to allowing a county to set a fee for the search and 1-3 retrieval of records stored electronically. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 191, Local Government Code, is amended by 1-6 adding Section 191.009 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 191.009. ELECTRONIC RECORD SEARCH AND RETRIEVAL FEE. 1-8 (a) The commissioners court of a county may impose a fee for 1-9 access to records that are stored electronically by the county. 1-10 The fee may not exceed $1 for each document retrieved or each 1-11 search conducted or a maximum of $10 a day for a person. 1-12 (b) The fee charged under this section is in addition to the 1-13 fee that the county may charge under Sections 552.261 and 552.262, 1-14 Government Code. All proceeds from fees collected under this 1-15 section may be used by the county only to establish or maintain 1-16 electronic storage of county records. 1-17 (c) Section 552.272(a), Government Code, does not apply to 1-18 the fee charged under this section. 1-19 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-20 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-21 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-22 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-23 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-24 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.