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.