By: Duncan, Carona S.B. No. 635
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the distribution of certain civil penalties and civil
  restitution received by the attorney general.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 402.007, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 402.007.  PAYMENT TO TREASURY; ALLOCATION OF CERTAIN
  MONEY RECEIVED BY ATTORNEY GENERAL [PENALTIES].  (a)  The attorney
  general shall immediately pay into the state treasury money
  received for a debt, a [or] penalty, or restitution.
         (b)  Subject to Subsection (d) [(c)], the comptroller shall
  credit to the judicial fund for programs approved by the supreme
  court that provide basic civil legal services to the indigent the
  net amount of:
               (1)  a civil penalty that is recovered in an action by
  the attorney general in any matter actionable under Subchapter E,
  Chapter 17, Business & Commerce Code, after deducting amounts
  allocated to or retained by the attorney general as authorized by
  law, unless:
                     (A) [(1)]  another law requires that the penalty
  be credited to a different fund or account; or
                     (B) [(2)]  the judgment awarding the penalty
  requires that the penalty be paid to another named recipient; and
               (2)  civil restitution recovered by the attorney
  general in an action brought by the attorney general arising from
  conduct that violates a consumer protection, public health, or
  general welfare law, if, on the hearing of an ex parte motion filed
  by the attorney general after the entry of a judgment awarding civil
  restitution, the court:
                     (A)  determines that, based on the facts and
  circumstances of the case:
                           (i)  it is impossible or impracticable to
  identify injured parties;
                           (ii)  it is impossible or impracticable to
  determine the degree to which each claimant was injured and
  entitled to recover;
                           (iii)  the cost of administering a claim
  procedure will disproportionately reduce the amount of restitution
  available for the payment of individual claims; or
                           (iv)  the claims of all identifiable persons
  eligible to receive restitution have been paid without exhausting
  the funds available for restitution; and
                     (B)  enters a judgment or order that the
  restitution be credited to the judicial fund for programs approved
  by the supreme court that provide basic civil legal services to the
  indigent.
         (c)  If a court enters a judgment or order that restitution
  be credited to the judicial fund, the attorney general shall notify
  the Legislative Budget Board and shall distribute that restitution
  in accordance with the court judgment or order.
         (d)  The total amount credited to the judicial fund for
  programs approved by the supreme court that provide basic civil
  legal services to the indigent under Subsection (b) may not exceed
  $50 [$10] million per state fiscal biennium.
         (e)  The provisions of this section do not limit the common
  law authority or other statutory authority of the attorney general
  to seek and obtain cy pres distribution from a court.
         SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
  to a civil penalty or civil restitution that is received by the
  attorney general on or after the effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the 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, 2013.