H.B. 813 78 ) BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 813 By: Gutierrez County Affairs Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Nonprofit family violence prevention organizations in the public and private sectors provide shelter and services to victims of abuse and family violence. However, there is concern regarding whether these organizations have adequate resources to provide services in all areas and to all victims of family violence. House Bill 813 authorizes the commissioners court of a county to adopt a family violence prevention fee and allocate the resulting revenue to the county family violence prevention account. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS Section 1. House Bill 813 amends the Government Code to authorize the county commissioners court to adopt a family violence prevention fee not to exceed $15. The district clerk is required to collect the fee at the time a suit for dissolution of a marriage is filed. The district clerk may not collect a fee from a person who is protected by an order under Subtitle B, Title 4, Family Code, or Article 17.292, Code of Criminal Procedure. The bill requires the district clerk to pay the fee to the appropriate officer of the county in which the suit is filed for deposit in the county treasury to the credit of the family violence prevention account. The bill authorizes the commissioners court to only fund or assist persons providing shelter or services to victims of family violence, including civil legal services, to victims of family violence. Defines "family violence" as assigned by Section 71.004, Family Code. Section 2. Effective Date. This Act takes effect on September 1, 2003 and only applies to a filing fee collected on or after the effective date. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2003.