H.B. No. 1989
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.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 1989 was passed by the House on April
26, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 1, 1 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 1989 was passed by the Senate on May
15, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor