| 1 | | - | By: Thompson of Harris (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) H.B. No. 2710 |
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| 2 | | - | (In the Senate - Received from the House May 13, 2015; |
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| 3 | | - | May 14, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on State |
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| 4 | | - | Affairs; May 22, 2015, reported favorably by the following vote: |
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| 5 | | - | Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 22, 2015, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | | - | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 1 | + | H.B. No. 2710 |
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| 10 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 11 | 5 | | relating to the duty of an attorney ad litem to locate and represent |
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| 12 | 6 | | a defendant in a suit to collect a delinquent ad valorem tax. |
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| 13 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 33, Tax Code, is amended by |
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| 15 | 9 | | adding Section 33.475 to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 10 | | Sec. 33.475. ATTORNEY AD LITEM REPORT; APPROVAL OF FEES. |
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| 17 | 11 | | (a) In a suit to collect a delinquent tax, an attorney ad litem |
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| 18 | 12 | | appointed by a court to represent the interests of a defendant |
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| 19 | 13 | | served with process by means of citation by publication or posting |
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| 20 | 14 | | shall submit to the court a report describing the actions taken by |
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| 21 | 15 | | the attorney ad litem to locate and represent the interests of the |
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| 22 | 16 | | defendant. |
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| 23 | 17 | | (b) The court may not approve the fees of the attorney ad |
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| 24 | 18 | | litem until the attorney ad litem submits the report required by |
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| 25 | 19 | | this section and the court determines that the actions taken by the |
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| 26 | 20 | | attorney ad litem as described in the report were sufficient to |
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| 27 | 21 | | discharge the attorney's duties to the defendant. |
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| 28 | 22 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 29 | 23 | | an attorney ad litem appointed to represent the interests of a |
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| 30 | 24 | | defendant in a delinquent tax suit on or after the effective date of |
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| 31 | 25 | | this Act. An attorney ad litem appointed to represent the interests |
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| 32 | 26 | | of a defendant in a delinquent tax suit before the effective date of |
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| 33 | 27 | | this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the attorney |
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| 34 | 28 | | was appointed, and the former law is continued in effect for that |
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| 35 | 29 | | purpose. |
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| 36 | 30 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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| 37 | | - | * * * * * |
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| 31 | + | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 32 | + | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 33 | + | I certify that H.B. No. 2710 was passed by the House on May |
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| 34 | + | 12, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 1, 2 present, not |
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| 35 | + | voting. |
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| 36 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 37 | + | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 38 | + | I certify that H.B. No. 2710 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 39 | + | 27, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 40 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 41 | + | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 42 | + | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 43 | + | Date |
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| 44 | + | _____________________ |
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| 45 | + | Governor |
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