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|  | AN ACT | 
|  | relating to fees paid to a constable for serving civil process. | 
|  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
|  | SECTION 1.  Subsection (d), Section 86.021, Local Government | 
|  | Code, is amended to read as follows: | 
|  | (d)  Regardless of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, all | 
|  | civil process may be served by a constable in the constable's county | 
|  | or in a county contiguous to the constable's county, except that a | 
|  | constable who is a party to or interested in the outcome of a suit | 
|  | may not serve any process related to the suit.  All civil process | 
|  | served by a constable at any time or place is presumed to be served | 
|  | in the constable's official capacity if under the law the constable | 
|  | may serve that process in the constable's official capacity.  A | 
|  | constable may not under any circumstances retain a fee paid for | 
|  | serving civil process in the constable's official capacity other | 
|  | than the constable's regular salary or compensation.  Any fee paid | 
|  | to a constable for serving civil process in the constable's | 
|  | official capacity shall be deposited with the county treasurer of | 
|  | the constable's county. | 
|  | SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only | 
|  | to civil process served by a constable on or after the effective | 
|  | date of this Act.  Civil process served by a constable before the | 
|  | effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect | 
|  | immediately before that date, and that law is continued in effect | 
|  | for that purpose. | 
|  | SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. | 
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|  | ______________________________ | ______________________________ | 
|  | President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | 
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|  | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 2197 passed the Senate on | 
|  | April 20, 2009, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 0; and that | 
|  | the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 29, 2009, by the | 
|  | following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0. | 
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|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Secretary of the Senate | 
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|  | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 2197 passed the House, with | 
|  | amendment, on May 26, 2009, by the following vote:  Yeas 146, | 
|  | Nays 0, one present not voting. | 
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|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Chief Clerk of the House | 
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|  | Approved: | 
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|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Date | 
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|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Governor |