S.B. 1731 78 )    BILL ANALYSIS


S.B. 1731
By: Gallegos
County Affairs
Committee Report (Unamended)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, a number of county records are deteriorating and are in need of
preservation. Counties 
adjacent to an international boundary have the ability to charge a records
archive fee not to exceed $5 for the filing of public documents in county
clerks offices. As proposed, S.B. 1731 provides for a fee not to exceed $5
to be imposed for filing public documents in county clerk offices in any
county for the purpose of preserving, restoring, and managing county
records. 


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. Amends Section 118.011(e), Local Government Code, as added by
Chapter 794, Acts of the 77th Legislature, Regular Session, 2001, to
delete the modifier "adjacent to an international boundary" when
referencing counties in which the county clerk is required, if the
commissioners court of the county adopts the fee as part of the county's
annual budget, to collect a $5 records archive fee from any person. 

SECTION 2. Amends the heading to Section 118.025, Local Government Code,
to read as follows: 
Sec. 118.025. COUNTY CLERK'S RECORDS ARCHIVE

SECTION 3. Amends Section 118.025(b), Local Government Code, to make a
conforming change. 

SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2003.

EFFECTIVE DATE
   
This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of
all members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III,
Texas Constitution.  If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2003.