| 1 | 1 | | 85R5579 JTS-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Smithee, Farrar H.B. No. 1021 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to county law libraries. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 323.021, Local Government Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c) to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) The commissioners court of a county by order may |
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| 13 | 13 | | establish and maintain a county law library at the county seat or |
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| 14 | 14 | | another location determined by the commissioners court. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (c) The commissioners court of a county may establish, |
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| 16 | 16 | | maintain, and operate in cooperation with other counties a joint |
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| 17 | 17 | | free county law library for the benefit of the cooperating counties |
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| 18 | 18 | | in the same manner that a joint county library may be established |
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| 19 | 19 | | and operated under Section 323.010. |
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| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. Section 323.023(b), Local Government Code, is |
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| 21 | 21 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b) The clerks of the respective courts shall collect the |
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| 23 | 23 | | costs and pay them to the county treasurer, or to any other official |
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| 24 | 24 | | who discharges the duties commonly delegated to the county |
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| 25 | 25 | | treasurer, for deposit in a fund to be known as the county law |
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| 26 | 26 | | library fund. The fund may be used only for: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) establishing the law library after the entry of |
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| 28 | 28 | | the order creating it; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) purchasing or leasing library materials, |
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| 30 | 30 | | maintaining the library, or acquiring furniture, shelving, or |
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| 31 | 31 | | equipment for the library; [or] |
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| 32 | 32 | | (3) purchasing or leasing library materials or |
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| 33 | 33 | | acquiring library equipment, including computers, software, and |
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| 34 | 34 | | subscriptions to obtain access to electronic research networks for |
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| 35 | 35 | | use by judges in the county; or |
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| 36 | 36 | | (4) establishing and maintaining a self-help center to |
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| 37 | 37 | | provide resources to county residents representing themselves in |
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| 38 | 38 | | legal matters. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 40 | 40 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 41 | 41 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 42 | 42 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 43 | 43 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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