Texas 2023 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1989 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/07/2023

                    88R8020 AMF-F
 By: Cook H.B. No. 1989


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to the fees assessed by a district clerk for copies of
 certain court documents.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 51.318, Government Code, is amended by
 amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
 follows:
 (e)  The district clerk may not charge [United States
 Immigration and Customs Enforcement or United States Citizenship
 and Immigration Services] a fee for a copy of any document on file
 or of record in the clerk's office relating to an individual's
 criminal history, regardless of whether the document is certified,
 to:
 (1)  United States Immigration and Customs
 Enforcement;
 (2)  United States Citizenship and Immigration
 Services; or
 (3)  a criminal justice agency that requests the
 document for a criminal justice purpose, including a request to
 determine an individual's eligibility to purchase a firearm.
 (f)  In this section, "criminal justice agency" and
 "criminal justice purpose" have the meanings assigned by Section
 411.082.
 SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
 to a fee for a copy of a court document requested on or after the
 effective date of this Act.  A fee for a copy of a court document
 requested before the effective date of this Act is governed by the
 law in effect when the copy was requested, and the former law is
 continued in effect for that purpose.
 SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.