By Goolsby                                            H.B. No. 2185
         77R3836 SMJ-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to fees collected by a county tax assessor-collector for
 1-3     processing certain payments by credit card.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Section 130.0045, Local Government Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 130.0045.  CREDIT CARD PAYMENT PROCESSING FEE.  (a)  If
 1-8     a county tax assessor-collector accepts a credit card invoice as
 1-9     conditional payment of a fee or tax, the assessor-collector may
1-10     [shall] collect a fee for processing the invoice.
1-11           (b)  The assessor-collector [collector] shall set a [the] fee
1-12     collected under Subsection (a) in an amount that is reasonably
1-13     related to the expense incurred in processing the credit card
1-14     invoice, not to exceed five percent of the amount of the fee or
1-15     tax.  The processing fee is in addition to the amount of the fee or
1-16     tax, and may be paid conditionally by including the amount of the
1-17     processing fee on the credit card invoice.
1-18           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
1-19     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
1-20     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
1-21     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
1-22     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.