BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1341

By: Taylor, Van

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that the documents associated with cases transferred from one court to another must be submitted in paper form. The interested parties contend that submitting these documents in paper form requires a great deal of equipment, paper, and time. In order to save money and increase efficiency, S.B. 1341 seeks to authorize the transfer of court records from one court to another in electronic form. 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

S.B. 1341 amends the Government Code to authorize the clerk of a district court, if a case is transferred from the district court to a county court, to send to the county clerk in electronic or paper form a certified transcript of the proceedings held in the district court, the original papers filed in the district court, and a bill of the costs that have accrued in the district court. The bill gives the clerk of a county court, if a case is transferred from the county court to a district court, the option of sending the required certified transcript, original papers, and bill of costs relating to the case to the district clerk in either electronic or paper form. The bill also gives the clerk of a county court, if civil or criminal jurisdiction of the county court is transferred to a district court, the option of sending the required certified copy of judgments rendered in the county court that remain unsatisfied to the district clerks of the appropriate counties in either electronic or paper form.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.