By Jones of Bexar                                     H.B. No. 2557
         77R4737 DAK-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the payment of certain judgments.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1. Section 31.008(a), Civil Practice and Remedies
 1-5     Code, is amended to read as follows:
 1-6           (a)  A judgment debtor who complies with Subsections (b) and
 1-7     (c) may pay to the court that rendered the judgment the amount
 1-8     under the judgment owed to a judgment creditor whose location is
 1-9     unknown to the judgment debtor or who refuses to accept payment of
1-10     the amount under the judgment [if the judgment debtor complies with
1-11     Subsections (b) and (c)]. The payment must be made without offset
1-12     or reduction for any claims of the judgment debtor. The judgment
1-13     debtor shall prepare a recordable release of the judgment except
1-14     that if the judgment creditor refuses to accept payment, the clerk
1-15     of the court shall issue a recordable release of judgment.  The
1-16     judge or clerk of the court shall execute a [the] release of the
1-17     judgment under this subsection on behalf of the creditor and issue
1-18     the release to the debtor.  The release shall recite the cause
1-19     number, the court, the parties, the date of judgment, the amount of
1-20     judgment, the amount paid into the court, and the date of the
1-21     release.
1-22           SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001, and
1-23     applies only to the payment of any judgment on or after that date,
1-24     without regard to whether the judgment was entered before, on, or
 2-1     after that date.