HBA-CBW MSH H.B. 3586 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3586 By: Hartnett Judicial Affairs 8/3/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE During the summer of 2000, a "blue ribbon" committee composed of representatives from the Dallas Bar Association, the Dallas County Commissioners Court, and the county and district judges was established to consider the needs for present and future civil courtrooms in Dallas County. The committees recommendation was to remodel the George Allen Courthouse and build a judicial tower on the adjacent lot. House Bill 3586 requires the clerk of a Dallas County civil court to collect a filing fee of not more than $15 in each civil case filed in the court to be used for the construction, improvement, or renovation of the facilities that house the Dallas County civil courts. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 3586 amends the Government Code to require the clerk of a Dallas County civil court (court), in addition to all other fees, to collect a filing fee of not more than $15 in each civil case filed in the court to be used for the construction, renovation, or improvement of the facilities that house the courts and requires that the fee be collected in the same manner as other fees, fines, or costs. The bill requires the clerk to send the fees collected to the county treasurer at least monthly and requires the treasurer to deposit the fees in a special account in the county treasury dedicated to the construction, renovation, or improvement of the facilities that house the courts. These provisions apply only to fees for a 12-month period beginning July 1 if the commissioners court adopts a resolution authorizing a fee of no more than $15, adopts a resolution requiring the county to spend one dollar for the construction, renovation, or improvement of the courts' facilities for each dollar spent from the special account dedicated to that purpose and files the resolutions by a specified date. The county is authorized to make the aforementioned required expenditure at any time regardless of when the expenditure from the special account occurs. The bill establishes that the adopted resolution continues from year to year until July 1, 2016, allowing the county to collect fees until the resolution is rescinded. The bill authorizes the commissioners court to rescind a resolution by adopting a resolution rescinding the resolution and submitting the rescission resolution to the county treasurer not later than June 1 preceding the beginning of the first day of the county fiscal year. The bill authorizes the commissioners court to adopt an additional resolution in the same manner prescribed by the aforementioned provisions after rescinding a previous resolution. The bill sets forth provisions regarding the abolition of a fee. EFFECTIVE DATE June 15, 2001.