By Thompson                                           H.B. No. 3498
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to improving the collection of costs, fees, and fines in
 1-3     criminal cases.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Chapter 103, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 1-6     amended by adding Article 103.0032 to read as follows:
 1-7           Art. 103.0032.  COLLECTION IMPROVEMENT PLANS. Not later than
 1-8     January 1 of each even-numbered year, the Office of Court
 1-9     Administration of the Texas Judicial System may award grants to
1-10     counties and municipalities to prepare a collection plan.  The
1-11     grants shall reimburse the county or municipality for the cost of
1-12     preparing the plan.  The plan shall provide methods to improve the
1-13     collection of court costs, fees, and fines imposed in criminal
1-14     cases.  The Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial
1-15     System may require that the county or municipality reimburse the
1-16     state from the additional collections as a condition of the grant.
1-17           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
1-18           SECTION 3. Each commissioners court and each governing body
1-19     of a municipality must file the first  collection improvement plan
1-20     required by Article 103.0032, Code of Criminal Procedure, as added
1-21     by this Act, not later than January 1, 2002.