BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 2868 |
By: Martinez, "Mando" |
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties point out that the Hidalgo County courthouse no longer has the capacity to meet the needs of Hidalgo County. These parties report that the county has begun to plan for construction of a new courthouse and has explored alternative forms of financing the courthouse in addition to adjusting the plans to lower costs. C.S.H.B. 2868 seeks to address this issue.
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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.
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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.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 2868 amends the Government Code to set out provisions relating to an additional filing fee for civil cases in Hidalgo County applicable only to district courts, statutory probate courts, and county courts at law in the county. The bill, except as otherwise provided by its provisions and in addition to all other fees authorized or required by other law, requires the clerk of a court to collect a filing fee of not more than $20 in each civil case filed in the court to be used for the construction, renovation, or improvement of the facilities that house the county civil courts. The bill requires such court fees to be collected in the same manner as other fees, fines, or costs are collected in the case and requires the clerk to send the collected fees to the county treasurer or to any other official who discharges the duties commonly assigned to the county treasurer at least as frequently as monthly. The bill requires the treasurer or other official to deposit the fees in a special account in the county treasury dedicated to the construction, renovation, or improvement of the facilities that house the courts collecting the fee.
C.S.H.B. 2868 applies only to fees for a 12-month period beginning October 1 if the commissioners court adopts a resolution authorizing a fee of not more than $20; adopts a resolution requiring the county to spend one dollar for the construction, renovation, or improvement of the court facilities for each dollar spent from the special account dedicated to that purpose; and files the resolutions with the county treasurer or other such official not later than September 1 immediately preceding the first 12-month period during which the fees are to be collected. The bill authorizes the county to make the required matching expenditure at any time regardless of when the expenditure from the special account occurs. The bill continues an adopted resolution from year to year until October 1, 2030, allowing the county to collect fees under applicable terms until the resolution is rescinded. The bill authorizes the commissioners court to rescind a resolution by adopting a resolution rescinding the resolution and submitting the rescission resolution to the county treasurer or other such official not later than September 1 preceding the beginning of the first day of the county fiscal year. The bill authorizes the commissioners court to adopt an additional resolution regarding authorization of the fee after rescinding a previous resolution. The bill abolishes a fee established under a particular resolution on the earlier of the date an adopted resolution is rescinded or October 1, 2030.
C.S.H.B. 2868 amends the Local Government Code to authorize the county clerk of Hidalgo County, if authorized by the commissioners court of the county, to assess an additional fee not to exceed $10 for real property records filing to fund the construction, renovation, or improvement of court facilities.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 2868 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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