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Texas Government Code - Section 51.607. Implementation Of New Or Amended Court Costs And Fees

Legal Research Home > Texas Lawyer > Government Code > Texas Government Code - Section 51.607. Implementation Of New Or Amended Court Costs And Fees

§ 51.607. IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW OR AMENDED COURT COSTS AND 
FEES.  (a) Following each regular session of the legislature, the 
comptroller shall identify each law enacted by that legislature, 
other than a law disapproved by the governor, that imposes or 
changes the amount of a court cost or fee collected by the clerk of a 
district, county, statutory county, municipal, or justice court 
from a party to a civil case or a defendant in a criminal case, 
including a filing or docketing fee, jury fee, cost on conviction, 
or fee or charge for services or to cover the expenses of a public 
official or agency.  This subsection does not apply to attorney's 
fees, civil or criminal fines or penalties, or amounts charged, 
paid, or collected on behalf of another party to a proceeding other 
than the state in a criminal case, including restitution or 
damages.
	(b)  The comptroller shall prepare a list of each court cost 
or fee covered by Subsection (a) to be imposed or changed and shall 
publish the list in the Texas Register not later than August 1 after 
the end of the regular session of the legislature at which the law 
imposing or changing the amount of the cost or fee was enacted.  The 
comptroller shall include with the list a statement describing the 
operation of this section and stating the date the imposition or 
change in the amount of the court cost or fee will take effect under 
Subsection (c).
	(c)  Notwithstanding the effective date of the law imposing 
or changing the amount of a court cost or fee included on the list, 
the imposition or change in the amount of the court cost or fee does 
not take effect until the next January 1 after the law takes effect.
	(d)  This section does not apply to a court cost or fee if the 
law imposing or changing the amount of the cost or fee:
		(1)  expressly provides that this section does not 
apply to the imposition or change in the amount of the cost or fee;  
or
		(2)  takes effect before August 1 or after the next 
January 1 following the regular session of the legislature at which 
the law was enacted.

Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 209, § 81(a), eff. Sept. 1, 
2003 and Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 823, § 1, eff. June 20, 2003.

Last modified: August 10, 2007