BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1426

By: Farias

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Legislation enacted several years ago required certain counties to implement a collection improvement program in accordance with the model program developed by the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System.  It is noted that current law does not name a commissioners court as an entity authorized to collect certain court costs, fees, and fines associated with the program and that any employee who handles the collected money must be an employee of an entity allowed to collect money under the collection improvement program.  These statutory requirements can reportedly cause administrative problems.

H.B. 1426 seeks to address these problems by allowing the commissioners court of a county in which the collection improvement program has been implemented to collect applicable court costs, fees, and fines.

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

H.B. 1426 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to add the commissioners court of a county that has implemented a collection improvement program to improve the collection of court costs, fees, fines, and other money to the list of individuals and entities authorized to collect money payable under the Code of Criminal Procedure or other law.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.