By:  Moncrief                                          S.B. No. 601
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to the creation of a municipal court technology fund.
 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-3           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 102, Code of Criminal
 1-4     Procedure, is amended by adding Article 102.0172 to read as
 1-5     follows:
 1-6           Art. 102.0172.  COURT COSTS; MUNICIPAL COURT TECHNOLOGY FUND.
 1-7     (a)  The governing body of a municipality by ordinance may create a
 1-8     municipal court technology fund and may require a defendant
 1-9     convicted of a misdemeanor offense in a municipal court or
1-10     municipal court of record to pay a technology fee not to exceed $6
1-11     as a cost of court.
1-12           (b)  In this article, a person is convicted if:
1-13                 (1)  a sentence is imposed on the person;
1-14                 (2)  the person receives probation or deferred
1-15     adjudication; or
1-16                 (3)  the court defers final disposition of the person's
1-17     case.
1-18           (c)  The municipal court clerk shall collect the cost of
1-19     court provided by this article and pay the funds collected to the
1-20     municipal treasurer, or to any other official who discharges the
1-21     duty commonly delegated to the municipal treasurer, for deposit in
1-22     a fund to be known as the municipal court technology fund.
1-23           (d)  The municipal court technology fund authorized by this
1-24     article may be used only to finance the purchase of technological
 2-1     enhancements for a municipal court or municipal court of record,
 2-2     including but not limited to:
 2-3                 (1)  computer systems;
 2-4                 (2)  computer networks;
 2-5                 (3)  computer hardware;
 2-6                 (4)  computer software;
 2-7                 (5)  imaging systems;
 2-8                 (6)  electronic kiosks;
 2-9                 (7)  electronic ticket writers; and
2-10                 (8)  docket management systems.
2-11           (e)  The municipal court technology fund shall be
2-12     administered by or under the direction of the governing body of the
2-13     municipality.
2-14           (f)  This article expires September 1, 2005.
2-15           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
2-16     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
2-17     Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before
2-18     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
2-19     before the effective date.
2-20           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
2-21     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
2-22     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
2-23           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-24           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-25     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-26     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.