By Luna H.B. No. 177 77R1091 QS-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the authority of the commissioners court of a county to 1-3 create a justice court technology fund and to require certain 1-4 defendants to pay court costs for deposit in the fund. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 102, Code of Criminal 1-7 Procedure, is amended by adding Article 102.0173 to read as 1-8 follows: 1-9 Art. 102.0173. COURT COSTS; JUSTICE COURT TECHNOLOGY FUND. 1-10 (a) The commissioners court of a county by order may create a 1-11 justice court technology fund and may require a defendant 1-12 convicted of a misdemeanor offense in a justice court to pay a 1-13 technology fee not to exceed $4 as a cost of court. 1-14 (b) In this article, a person is considered convicted if: 1-15 (1) a sentence is imposed on the person; or 1-16 (2) the court defers final disposition of the person's 1-17 case. 1-18 (c) The justice court clerk shall collect the costs and pay 1-19 the funds to the county treasurer, or to any other official who 1-20 discharges the duties commonly delegated to the county treasurer, 1-21 for deposit in a fund to be known as the justice court technology 1-22 fund. 1-23 (d) A fund designated by this article may be used only to 1-24 finance the purchase of technological enhancements for a justice 2-1 court, including: 2-2 (1) computer systems; 2-3 (2) computer networks; 2-4 (3) computer hardware; 2-5 (4) computer software; 2-6 (5) imaging systems; 2-7 (6) electronic kiosks; 2-8 (7) electronic ticket writers; and 2-9 (8) docket management systems. 2-10 (e) The justice court technology fund shall be administered 2-11 by or under the direction of the commissioners court of the county. 2-12 (f) This article expires September 1, 2005. 2-13 SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 2001, and 2-14 applies only to a cost on conviction for an offense committed on or 2-15 after that date and before September 1, 2005. A cost on conviction 2-16 for an offense committed before the effective date of this Act is 2-17 covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and 2-18 the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. A cost on 2-19 conviction for an offense committed before September 1, 2005, in 2-20 which the conviction is not entered until September 1, 2005, or 2-21 later is imposed in the same manner as if the conviction had been 2-22 entered before September 1, 2005, and notwithstanding Article 2-23 102.0173(f), Code of Criminal Procedure, as added by this Act, the 2-24 law is continued in effect for that purpose. 2-25 (b) For purposes of this section, an offense was committed 2-26 before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense 2-27 occurred before that date, and an offense is committed on or after 3-1 September 1, 2005, if any element of the offense occurs on or after 3-2 that date.