| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 1989 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to the fees assessed by a district clerk for copies of |
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| 6 | 6 | | certain court documents. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Section 51.318, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 9 | 9 | | amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsection (f) to read as |
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| 10 | 10 | | follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (e) The district clerk may not charge [United States |
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| 12 | 12 | | Immigration and Customs Enforcement or United States Citizenship |
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| 13 | 13 | | and Immigration Services] a fee for a copy of any document on file |
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| 14 | 14 | | or of record in the clerk's office relating to an individual's |
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| 15 | 15 | | criminal history, regardless of whether the document is certified, |
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| 16 | 16 | | to: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) United States Immigration and Customs |
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| 18 | 18 | | Enforcement; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) United States Citizenship and Immigration |
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| 20 | 20 | | Services; or |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) a criminal justice agency that requests the |
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| 22 | 22 | | document for a criminal justice purpose, including a request to |
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| 23 | 23 | | determine an individual's eligibility to purchase a firearm. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (f) In this section, "criminal justice agency" and |
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| 25 | 25 | | "criminal justice purpose" have the meanings assigned by Section |
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| 26 | 26 | | 411.082. |
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| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 28 | 28 | | to a fee for a copy of a court document requested on or after the |
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| 29 | 29 | | effective date of this Act. A fee for a copy of a court document |
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| 30 | 30 | | requested before the effective date of this Act is governed by the |
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| 31 | 31 | | law in effect when the copy was requested, and the former law is |
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| 32 | 32 | | continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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| 34 | 34 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 35 | 35 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 36 | 36 | | I certify that H.B. No. 1989 was passed by the House on April |
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| 37 | 37 | | 26, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 1, 1 present, not |
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| 38 | 38 | | voting. |
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| 39 | 39 | | ______________________________ |
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| 40 | 40 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 41 | 41 | | I certify that H.B. No. 1989 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 42 | 42 | | 15, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 43 | 43 | | ______________________________ |
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| 44 | 44 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 45 | 45 | | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 46 | 46 | | Date |
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| 47 | 47 | | _____________________ |
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| 48 | 48 | | Governor |
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