| 1 | 1 | | By: Rodriguez of Travis (Senate Sponsor - Hinojosa) H.B. No. 2021 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House May 9, 2013; |
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| 3 | 3 | | May 10, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 4 | 4 | | Intergovernmental Relations; May 16, 2013, reported favorably by |
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| 5 | 5 | | the following vote: Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 16, 2013, sent to |
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| 6 | 6 | | printer.) |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 10 | 10 | | AN ACT |
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| 11 | 11 | | relating to the authority of a municipality or county to contract |
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| 12 | 12 | | for the collection of certain amounts; authorizing a fee. |
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| 13 | 13 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 140, Local Government Code, is amended |
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| 15 | 15 | | by adding Section 140.009 to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 140.009. CONTRACT FOR COLLECTION OF AMOUNTS IN CIVIL |
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| 17 | 17 | | CASES. (a) The governing body of a municipality or the |
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| 18 | 18 | | commissioners court of a county may contract with a private |
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| 19 | 19 | | attorney or public or private vendor for the collection of an amount |
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| 20 | 20 | | owed to the municipality or county relating to a civil case, |
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| 21 | 21 | | including an unpaid fine, fee, or court cost, if the amount is more |
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| 22 | 22 | | than 60 days overdue. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (b) A municipality or county contracting with an attorney or |
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| 24 | 24 | | a vendor under Subsection (a) may authorize the addition of a |
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| 25 | 25 | | collection fee of 30 percent of the amount referred. The collection |
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| 26 | 26 | | fee may be used only to compensate the attorney or vendor who |
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| 27 | 27 | | collects the debt. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (c) This section does not apply to the collection of |
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| 29 | 29 | | commercial bail bonds. |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 31 | 31 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 32 | 32 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 33 | 33 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 34 | 34 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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| 35 | 35 | | * * * * * |
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