Bill Text: TX HB121 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to an alternative means of payment of certain past due criminal fines and court costs.
Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-15 - Effective immediately [HB121 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB121-Enrolled.html
| H.B. No. 121 | ||
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| relating to an alternative means of payment of certain past due | ||
| criminal fines and court costs. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. The heading to Chapter 103, Code of Criminal | ||
| Procedure, is amended to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 103. PAYMENT, COLLECTION, AND RECORDKEEPING | ||
| SECTION 2. Chapter 103, Code of Criminal Procedure, is | ||
| amended by adding Article 103.0025 to read as follows: | ||
| Art. 103.0025. ALTERNATIVE PAYMENT PROCEDURE FOR CERTAIN | ||
| PAST DUE FINES AND COSTS. (a) This article applies to a | ||
| defendant's past due payment on a judgment for a fine and related | ||
| court costs if a capias pro fine has been issued in the case. | ||
| (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the court | ||
| may adopt an alternative procedure for collecting a past due | ||
| payment described by Subsection (a). Under the procedure, a peace | ||
| officer who executes a capias pro fine or who is authorized to | ||
| arrest a defendant on other grounds and knows that the defendant | ||
| owes a past due payment described by Subsection (a): | ||
| (1) shall inform the defendant of: | ||
| (A) the possibility of making an immediate | ||
| payment of the fine and related court costs by use of a credit or | ||
| debit card; and | ||
| (B) the defendant's available alternatives to | ||
| making an immediate payment; and | ||
| (2) may accept, on behalf of the court, the defendant's | ||
| immediate payment of the fine and related court costs by use of a | ||
| credit or debit card, after which the peace officer may release the | ||
| defendant as appropriate based on the officer's authority for the | ||
| arrest. | ||
| (c) A peace officer accepting a payment under Subsection | ||
| (b)(2) may also accept payment for fees for the issuance and | ||
| execution of the capias pro fine. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.B. No. 121 was passed by the House on May 4, | ||
| 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 135, Nays 2, 2 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.B. No. 121 was passed by the Senate on May | ||
| 20, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 24, Nays 6. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: _____________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| _____________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
