| 1 | 1 | | 85R21910 MM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Cortez H.B. No. 818 |
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| 3 | 3 | | Substitute the following for H.B. No. 818: |
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| 4 | 4 | | By: Neave C.S.H.B. No. 818 |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to authorizing the county clerk in certain counties to |
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| 10 | 10 | | conduct certain marriage ceremonies and collect a related fee; |
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| 11 | 11 | | authorizing a fee. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Section 2.202, Family Code, is amended by adding |
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| 14 | 14 | | Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (a-1) For a marriage ceremony in which a participant is a |
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| 16 | 16 | | member of the United States armed forces in active-duty status and |
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| 17 | 17 | | which is performed in a county with a population of at least 1.7 |
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| 18 | 18 | | million that contains a municipality in which at least 75 percent of |
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| 19 | 19 | | the county's population resides, the county clerk and any deputy |
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| 20 | 20 | | clerk appointed by the clerk are authorized to conduct the |
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| 21 | 21 | | ceremony. |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 2. Section 51.402, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 23 | 23 | | adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (a-1) In a county to which Section 2.202(a-1), Family Code, |
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| 25 | 25 | | applies, the county clerk and any deputy clerk appointed by the |
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| 26 | 26 | | clerk may conduct a marriage ceremony for a member of the United |
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| 27 | 27 | | States armed forces in active-duty status. |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 3. Subchapter G, Chapter 51, Government Code, is |
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| 29 | 29 | | amended by adding Section 51.6045 to read as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | Sec. 51.6045. MARRIAGE CEREMONY FEE. A clerk or deputy |
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| 31 | 31 | | clerk who conducts a marriage ceremony under Section 51.402(a-1) |
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| 32 | 32 | | shall collect a $25 fee for conducting the ceremony. The clerk or |
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| 33 | 33 | | deputy clerk shall deposit the fee in the county treasury to be used |
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| 34 | 34 | | by the county only to fund charitable organizations that: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) assist or provide care for victims of family |
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| 36 | 36 | | violence or of child abuse or neglect; or |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) provide family violence prevention services. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 39 | 39 | | a marriage ceremony that is conducted on or after the effective date |
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| 40 | 40 | | of this Act. A marriage ceremony conducted before the effective |
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| 41 | 41 | | date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the |
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| 42 | 42 | | ceremony was conducted, and the former law is continued in effect |
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| 43 | 43 | | for that purpose. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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