HBA-JLV H.B. 950 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 950
By: Garcia
Judicial Affairs
3/13/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law provides that the minimum reimbursement amount paid to jurors
is $6 per day.  Today, many counties in Texas continue to pay jurors this
minimum level of compensation and as a result, many people may resist jury
duty.  House Bill 950 raises the minimum juror  reimbursement amount, calls
for a fee to be paid to the clerk of the court for each civil case filed,
and requires that a defendant who is convicted of or who receives deferred
adjudication for an offense in a district court, county court, county court
at law, or justice court pay a court fee as well.   

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. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 950 amends the Government Code to increase, from $6 to $40, the
minimum reimbursement amount entitled to jurors and persons responding to
the process of a court but who are excused from jury duty after their voir
dire examination.  This reimbursement is for travel and other expenses for
each day or fraction of each day served in court. 

H.B. 950 amends the Government Code and Code of Criminal Procedure to
require the clerk of each district court, county court, county court at
law, and justice court to collect a fee of $10  for court costs in each
civil case filed with the clerk or from a convicted defendant or a
defendant who receives deferred adjudication.  The clerk is required to
collect the fee in the manner provided for other court costs and to deliver
the fee to the treasurer of the county in which the court sits.  The county
treasurer is required to deposit the fee received in the county general
fund  to be used only to provide reimbursement for expenses incurred by
jurors and persons who attend court in response to jury summons in a
district court, county court, county court at law, or justice court in the
county.   
The bill amends the Government Code to require the Office of Court
Administration of the Texas Judicial System (office) to review the
reimbursement provided to jurors and persons who attend court in response
to jury summons in a district court, county court, county court at law, and
justice court and, not later than January 1 of every fourth year, report
the results of the review to the legislature.  The bill requires the office
to submit the first report to the legislature no later than January 1,
2005. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.