By: West S.B. No. 1436 Line and page numbers may not match official copy. Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E. A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to an additional fee for filing civil cases in certain 1-3 Dallas County courts. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 51, Government Code, is 1-6 amended by adding Section 51.705 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 51.705. ADDITIONAL FILING FEE FOR DALLAS COUNTY CIVIL 1-8 COURTS. (a) In this section, "Dallas County civil court" means a 1-9 district court, including a family district court, a probate court, 1-10 or a county court at law in Dallas County. 1-11 (b) In addition to all other fees authorized or required by 1-12 other law, the clerk of a Dallas County civil court shall collect a 1-13 filing fee of not more than $15 in each civil case filed in the 1-14 court to be used for the construction and renovation of the 1-15 facilities that house the Dallas County civil courts. 1-16 (c) Court fees due under this section shall be collected in 1-17 the same manner as other fees, fines, or costs are collected in the 1-18 case. 1-19 (d) The clerk shall send the fees collected under this 1-20 section to the county treasurer at least as frequently as monthly. 1-21 The treasurer shall deposit the fees in a special account in the 1-22 county treasury dedicated to the construction and renovation of the 1-23 facilities that house the Dallas County civil courts. 2-1 (e) This section applies only to fees for a 12-month period 2-2 beginning July 1, if the commissioners court: 2-3 (1) adopts a resolution authorizing a fee of no more 2-4 than $15; 2-5 (2) adopts a resolution requiring the county to 2-6 deposit one dollar in addition to each dollar that the county 2-7 treasurer deposits in the special account dedicated to the 2-8 construction and renovation of the facilities that house the Dallas 2-9 County civil courts; and 2-10 (3) files the resolutions with the county treasurer 2-11 not later than June 1 immediately preceding the first 12-month 2-12 period during which the fees are to be collected. 2-13 (f) A resolution adopted under Subsection (e) continues from 2-14 year to year until July 1, 2016, allowing the county to collect 2-15 fees under the terms of this section until the resolution is 2-16 rescinded. 2-17 (g) The commissioners court may rescind a resolution adopted 2-18 under Subsection (e) by adopting a resolution rescinding the 2-19 resolution and submitting the recision resolution to the county 2-20 treasurer not later than June 1 preceding the beginning of the 2-21 first day of the county fiscal year. The commissioners court may 2-22 adopt an additional resolution in the manner provided by Subsection 2-23 (e) after rescinding a previous resolution under that subsection. 2-24 (h) A fee is abolished: 2-25 (1) if a resolution adopted under Subsection (e) is 2-26 rescinded as provided by Subsection (g); 3-1 (2) if the county has not made the deposits as 3-2 required by the resolution adopted under Subsection (e)(2) for the 3-3 preceding 12-month period ending June 30, before the following 3-4 September 1; or 3-5 (3) on July 1, 2016; 3-6 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 3-7 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 3-8 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 3-9 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 3-10 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.