77R8118 JMC-D                           
         By Hartnett                                           H.B. No. 1220
         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1220:
         By Garcia                                         C.S.H.B. No. 1220
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to payments made to certain counties from the judicial
 1-3     fund and to the creation and use of a contributions fund in each of
 1-4     those counties.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1. Section 25.00211(b), Government Code, is amended
 1-7     to read as follows:
 1-8           (b)  The amount shall be paid to the county treasury for
 1-9     deposit in the contributions fund created under Section 25.00213
1-10     [county's salary fund] in equal monthly installments from funds
1-11     appropriated from the judicial fund.
1-12           SECTION 2. Section 25.00212, Government Code, is amended to
1-13     read as follows:
1-14           Sec. 25.00212.  EXCESS CONTRIBUTIONS. (a)  At the end of each
1-15     state fiscal year the comptroller shall determine the amounts
1-16     deposited in the judicial fund under Section 51.704 [51.703] and
1-17     the amounts paid to the counties under Section 25.00211.  If the
1-18     total amount paid under Section 51.704 by all counties exceeds the
1-19     total amount paid to counties under Section 25.00211, the state
1-20     shall remit the excess to the counties proportionately based on the
1-21     percentage of the total paid by each county.
1-22           (b)  The amounts remitted under Subsection (a)  shall be paid
1-23     to the county treasury for deposit in the contributions fund
1-24     created under Section 25.00213 [county's general fund to be used
 2-1     only for court-related purposes for the support of the judiciary as
 2-2     provided by Section 21.006].
 2-3           SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 25, Government Code, is
 2-4     amended by adding Section 25.00213 to read as follows:
 2-5           Sec. 25.00213.  CONTRIBUTIONS FUND. (a)  A contributions fund
 2-6     is created in the county treasury of each county that collects the
 2-7     additional fees under Section 51.704.
 2-8           (b)  Money in a contributions fund created under this section
 2-9     may be used only for court-related purposes for the support of the
2-10     statutory probate courts in the county.
2-11           (c)  A county may not reduce the amount of funds provided for
2-12     the support of the statutory probate courts in the county because
2-13     of the availability of funds from the county's contributions fund.
2-14           SECTION 4.  Any amount that was paid to a county's salary
2-15     fund under Section 25.00211, Government Code, or to a county's
2-16     general fund under Section 25.00212, Government Code, on or after
2-17     October 1, 1999, and before the effective date of this Act and that
2-18     is on deposit in the respective fund on the effective date of this
2-19     Act shall be transferred to the county's contributions fund created
2-20     under Section 25.00213, Government Code, as added by this Act.
2-21           SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-22     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-23     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-24     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-25     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.