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Texas Code of Criminal Procedure - Article 56.54. Funds

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Art. 56.54. FUNDS.  (a) The compensation to victims of crime 
fund and the compensation to victims of crime auxiliary fund are in 
the state treasury.
	(b)  Except as provided by Subsections (h), (i), (j), and (k) 
and Article 56.541, the compensation to victims of crime fund may be 
used only by the attorney general for the payment of compensation to 
claimants or victims under this subchapter.  For purposes of this 
subsection, compensation to claimants or victims includes money 
allocated from the fund to the Crime Victims' Institute created by 
Section 96.65, Education Code, for the operation of the institute 
and for other expenses in administering this subchapter.  The 
institute shall use money allocated from the fund only for the 
purposes of Sections 96.65, 96.651, and 96.652, Education Code.
	(c)  Except as provided by Subsections (h) and (i), the 
compensation to victims of crime auxiliary fund may be used by the 
attorney general only for the payment of compensation to claimants 
or victims under this subchapter.
	(d)  The attorney general may not make compensation payments 
in excess of the amount of money available from the combined funds.
	(e)  General revenues may not be used for payments under this 
subchapter.    
	(f)  The office of the attorney general is authorized to 
accept gifts, grants, and donations to be credited to the 
compensation to victims of crime fund and compensation to victims 
of crime auxiliary fund and shall file annually with the governor 
and the presiding officer of each house of the legislature a 
complete and detailed written report accounting for all gifts, 
grants, and donations received and disbursed, used, or maintained 
by the office for the attorney general that are credited to these 
funds.
	(g)  Money in the compensation to victims of crime fund or in 
the compensation to victims of crime auxiliary fund may be used only 
as provided by this subchapter and is not available for any other 
purpose.  Section 403.095, Government Code, does not apply to the 
fund.
	(h)  An amount of money deposited to the credit of the 
compensation to victims of crime fund not to exceed one-quarter of 
the amount disbursed from that fund in the form of compensation 
payments during a fiscal year shall be carried forward into the next 
succeeding fiscal year and applied toward the amount listed in the 
next succeeding fiscal year's method of financing.
	(i)  If the sums available in the compensation to victims of 
crime fund are sufficient in a fiscal year to make all compensation 
payments, the attorney general may retain any portion of the fund 
that was deposited during the fiscal year that was in excess of 
compensation payments made during that fiscal year as an emergency 
reserve for the next fiscal year.  Such emergency reserve may not 
exceed $10,000,000. The emergency reserve fund may be used only to 
make compensation awards in claims and for providing emergency 
relief and assistance, including crisis intervention, emergency 
housing, travel, food, or expenses and technical assistance 
expenses incurred in the implementation of this subsection in 
incidents resulting from an act of mass violence or from an act of 
international terrorism as defined by 18 U.S.C. Section 2331, 
occurring in the state or for Texas residents injured or killed in 
an act of terrorism outside of the United States.
	(j)  The legislature may appropriate money in the 
compensation to victims of crime fund to administer the associate 
judge program under Subchapter C, Chapter 201, Family Code.
	(k)  The attorney general may use the compensation to victims 
of crime fund to reimburse a law enforcement agency for the 
reasonable costs of a medical examination that are incurred by the 
agency under Article 56.06.

Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 268, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.  
Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 805, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 30, 
1993;  Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 5.84(a), eff. Sept. 1, 
1995;  Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 779, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995;  
Subsec. (b) amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1042, Sec. 2, eff. 
Sept. 1, 1997;  Subsec. (h) added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1042, 
Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 1997.  Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 
1434, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997;  Subsec. (j) added by Acts 1999, 
76th Leg., ch. 1302, Sec. 13, eff. Sept. 1, 1999;  Subsec. (b) 
amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1507, Sec. 2, eff. June 15, 
2001;  Subsec. (k) added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1507, Sec. 3, 
eff. June 15, 2001;  Subsec. (b) amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., 
ch. 927, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Last modified: August 10, 2007