HBA-NMO H.B. 545 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 545
By: Reyna, Arthur
County Affairs
2/17/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law requires a defendant in a district court, justice court, county
court, or county court at law to pay a security fee as a cost to the court.
The money from this fee is deposited in a courthouse security fund, and its
distribution is left to the discretion of the county commissioners.  H.B.
545 changes the courthouse security fund to the county court building
security fund and requires the commissioners court to allocate a certain
percentage of the funds collected by a court to finance security services
in the building housing that court.    

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Article 102.017, Code of Criminal Procedure, as follows:

Art.  102.017.  New Title:  COURT COSTS; COUNTY COURT BUILDING SECURITY
FUND; MUNICIPAL COURT BUILDING SECURITY FUND.  Provides that a defendant's
security fee collected by  the clerk of a court is to be deposited in a
fund known as the county court building, rather than courthouse, security
fund or a fund to be known as the municipal court building security fund,
as appropriate.  Requires the commissioners court to allocate 80 percent of
the county court building security funds collected by a court to finance
various security services in the building housing that particular court,
and the remaining 20 percent to finance various security services within
the county.  Makes conforming and nonsubstantive changes. 

SECTION 2.  Makes application of this Act prospective beginning with the
first day of the county's fiscal year that begins on or after the effective
date of this Act. 

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.
  Effective date: 90 days after adjournment.