Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB307 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		89R339 MCF-D
2		-	By: Vasut, Buckley, et al. H.B. No. 307
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4		-
	2	+	By: Vasut, et al. H.B. No. 307
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7	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	6		AN ACT
9	7		relating to credit toward payment of fines and costs for certain
10	8		defendants.
11	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	10		SECTION 1. Articles 43.09(a) and (k), Code of Criminal
13	11		Procedure, are amended to read as follows:
14	12		(a) When a defendant is convicted of a misdemeanor and the
15	13		defendant's punishment is assessed at a pecuniary fine or is
16	14		confined in a jail after conviction of a felony for which a fine is
17	15		imposed, if the defendant is unable to pay the fine and costs
18	16		adjudged against the defendant, the defendant may for such time as
19	17		will satisfy the judgment be put to work in the county jail
20	18		industries program, in the workhouse, or on the county farm, or
21	19		public improvements and maintenance projects of the county or a
22	20		political subdivision located in whole or in part in the county, as
23	21		provided in Article 43.10; or if there is no such county jail
24	22		industries program, workhouse, farm, or improvements and
25	23		maintenance projects, the defendant shall be confined in jail for a
26	24		sufficient length of time to discharge the full amount of fine and
27	25		costs adjudged against the defendant; rating such confinement at
28	26		$150 [$100] for each day and rating such labor at $150 [$100] for
29	27		each day; provided, however, that the defendant may pay the
30	28		pecuniary fine assessed against the defendant at any time while the
31	29		defendant is serving at work in the county jail industries program,
32	30		in the workhouse, or on the county farm, or on the public
33	31		improvements and maintenance projects of the county or a political
34	32		subdivision located in whole or in part in the county, or while the
35	33		defendant is serving the defendant's jail sentence, and in such
36	34		instances the defendant is entitled to the credit earned under this
37	35		subsection during the time that the defendant has served and the
38	36		defendant shall only be required to pay the balance of the pecuniary
39	37		fine assessed against the defendant. A defendant who performs labor
40	38		under this article during a day in which the defendant is confined
41	39		is entitled to both the credit for confinement and the credit for
42	40		labor provided by this article.
43	41		(k) A defendant is considered to have discharged $150 [$100]
44	42		of fines or costs for each eight hours of community service
45	43		performed under Subsection (f) of this article.
46	44		SECTION 2. Article 45A.251(e), Code of Criminal Procedure,
47	45		is amended to read as follows:
48	46		(e) In addition to credit under Subsection (d), in imposing
49	47		a fine and costs in a case involving a misdemeanor punishable by
50	48		fine only, the justice or judge shall credit the defendant for any
51	49		period the defendant was confined in jail or prison while awaiting
52	50		trial or serving a sentence for another offense if that confinement
53	51		occurred after the commission of the misdemeanor. The credit under
54	52		this subsection shall be applied to the amount of the fine and costs
55	53		at the rate of not less than $150 for each day of confinement.
56	54		SECTION 3. Article 45A.254(e), Code of Criminal Procedure,
57	55		is amended to read as follows:
58	56		(e) A defendant is considered to have discharged not less
59	57		than $150 [$100] of fines or costs for each eight hours of community
60	58		service performed under this article.
61	59		SECTION 4. Article 45A.459(i), Code of Criminal Procedure,
62	60		is amended to read as follows:
63	61		(i) A defendant is considered to have discharged not less
64	62		than $150 [$100] of fines or costs for each eight hours of community
65	63		service performed under this article.
66	64		SECTION 5. Article 45A.460(i), Code of Criminal Procedure,
67	65		is amended to read as follows:
68	66		(i) A defendant is considered to have discharged not less
69	67		than $150 [$100] of fines or costs for each eight hours of community
70	68		service performed under this article.
71	69		SECTION 6. Article 43.09(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, as
72	70		amended by this Act, applies to a defendant who is confined or
73	71		performs labor to discharge fines or costs on or after the effective
74	72		date of this Act, regardless of whether the offense for which the
75	73		fines or costs were imposed occurred before, on, or after the
76	74		effective date of this Act.
77	75		SECTION 7. The changes in law made by this Act to Articles
78	76		43.09(k), 45A.254(e), 45A.459(i), and 45A.460(i), Code of Criminal
79	77		Procedure, apply to a defendant who performs community service to
80	78		discharge fines or costs on or after the effective date of this Act,
81	79		regardless of whether the offense for which the fines or costs were
82	80		imposed occurred before, on, or after the effective date of this
83	81		Act.
84	82		SECTION 8. Article 45A.251(e), Code of Criminal Procedure,
85	83		as amended by this Act, applies to a defendant who is sentenced for
86	84		an offense on or after the effective date of this Act, regardless of
87	85		whether the offense was committed before, on, or after that date.
88	86		SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.