1-1     By:  Moncrief                                          S.B. No. 601
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 18, 1999; February 22, 1999,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental
 1-4     Relations; April 12, 1999, reported adversely, with favorable
 1-5     Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 4, Nays 0;
 1-6     April 12, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 601                 By:  Moncrief
 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-9                                   AN ACT
1-10     relating to the creation of a municipal court technology fund.
1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 102, Code of Criminal
1-13     Procedure, is amended by adding Article 102.0172 to read as
1-14     follows:
1-15           Art. 102.0172.  COURT COSTS; MUNICIPAL COURT TECHNOLOGY FUND.
1-16     (a)  The governing body of a municipality by ordinance may create a
1-17     municipal court technology fund and may require a defendant
1-18     convicted of a misdemeanor offense in a municipal court or
1-19     municipal court of record to pay a technology fee not to exceed $6
1-20     as a cost of court.
1-21           (b)  In this article, a person is convicted if:
1-22                 (1)  a sentence is imposed on the person;
1-23                 (2)  the person receives probation or deferred
1-24     adjudication; or
1-25                 (3)  the court defers final disposition of the person's
1-26     case.
1-27           (c)  The municipal court clerk shall collect the cost of
1-28     court provided by this article and pay the funds collected to the
1-29     municipal treasurer, or to any other official who discharges the
1-30     duty commonly delegated to the municipal treasurer, for deposit in
1-31     a fund to be known as the municipal court technology fund.
1-32           (d)  The municipal court technology fund authorized by this
1-33     article may be used only to finance the purchase of technological
1-34     enhancements for a municipal court or municipal court of record,
1-35     including but not limited to:
1-36                 (1)  computer systems;
1-37                 (2)  computer networks;
1-38                 (3)  computer hardware;
1-39                 (4)  computer software;
1-40                 (5)  imaging systems;
1-41                 (6)  electronic kiosks;
1-42                 (7)  electronic ticket writers; and
1-43                 (8)  docket management systems.
1-44           (e)  The municipal court technology fund shall be
1-45     administered by or under the direction of the governing body of the
1-46     municipality.
1-47           (f)  This article expires September 1, 2005.
1-48           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in the law made by this Act
1-49     applies only to an offense committed on or after the effective date
1-50     of this Act.  For purposes of this section, an offense is committed
1-51     before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
1-52     occurs before the effective date.
1-53           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-54     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
1-55     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-56           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-57           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-58     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-59     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-60     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-61     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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