By Lindsay S.B. No. 1031 77R5849 CAS-F A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to certain hospital liens. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Section 55.002, Property Code, is amended to read 1-5 as follows: 1-6 Sec. 55.002. LIEN. (a) A hospital has a lien on a cause of 1-7 action or claim of an individual who receives hospital services for 1-8 injuries caused by an accident that is attributed to the negligence 1-9 of another person. For the lien to attach, the individual must 1-10 receive emergency treatment or be admitted to a hospital not later 1-11 than 72 hours after the accident. 1-12 (b) The lien extends to both the treating or admitting 1-13 hospital and a hospital to which the individual is transferred for 1-14 treatment of the same injury. 1-15 SECTION 2. Section 55.007(b), Property Code, is amended to 1-16 read as follows: 1-17 (b) A judgment to which the lien has attached remains in 1-18 effect until the hospital's charges are paid in full or to the 1-19 extent set out in the judgment. If the hospital's charges are not 1-20 paid in full, the hospital may collect any outstanding amount owed 1-21 in the same manner as the hospital may collect any other debt owed 1-22 to the hospital that is not secured by a lien. 1-23 SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only to 1-24 a cause of action or claim that accrues on or after the effective 2-1 date of this Act. A cause of action or claim that accrued before 2-2 the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect 2-3 when the cause of action or claim accrued, and that law is 2-4 continued in effect for that purpose. 2-5 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.