| Old | New | Differences | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 89R24404 DRS-F | |
| 2 | 1 | By: Moody H.B. No. 4944 | |
| 3 | - | Substitute the following for H.B. No. 4944: | |
| 4 | - | By: Leach C.S.H.B. No. 4944 | |
| 5 | - | ||
| 6 | - | ||
| 7 | 2 | ||
| 8 | 3 | ||
| 9 | 4 | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED | |
| 10 | 5 | AN ACT | |
| 11 | 6 | relating to the establishment of a grant program to provide | |
| 12 | 7 | financial assistance to counties for transportation assistance to | |
| 13 | 8 | indigent litigants. | |
| 14 | 9 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | |
| 15 | 10 | SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 130, Local Government | |
| 16 | 11 | Code, is amended by adding Section 130.914 to read as follows: | |
| 17 | 12 | Sec. 130.914. COUNTY INDIGENT LITIGANT TRANSPORTATION | |
| 18 | - | ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. (a) In this section: | |
| 19 | - | (1) "Grant" means a grant authorized to be awarded by | |
| 20 | - | the comptroller under the county indigent litigant transportation | |
| 21 | - | assistance grant program established by this section. | |
| 22 | - | (2) "Indigent litigant" means a person who is: | |
| 23 | - | (A) found by a court to be unable to afford the | |
| 24 | - | payment of court costs; | |
| 25 | - | (B) an eligible indigent defendant under Article | |
| 26 | - | 1.051, Code of Criminal Procedure; | |
| 27 | - | (C) a juvenile respondent whose parent or | |
| 28 | - | guardian has been found indigent under Section 51.101, Family Code; | |
| 29 | - | or | |
| 30 | - | (D) an indigent person eligible for | |
| 31 | - | court-appointed counsel in a suit filed by a governmental entity | |
| 32 | - | under Title 5, Family Code. | |
| 13 | + | ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. (a) In this section, "grant" means a | |
| 14 | + | grant authorized to be awarded by the comptroller under the county | |
| 15 | + | indigent litigant transportation assistance grant program | |
| 16 | + | established by this section. | |
| 33 | 17 | (b) The comptroller shall establish and administer the | |
| 34 | 18 | county indigent litigant transportation assistance grant program | |
| 35 | 19 | to support the state purpose of ensuring efficient administration | |
| 36 | 20 | of justice throughout the state by providing financial assistance | |
| 37 | 21 | to counties that assist indigent litigants with transportation to | |
| 38 | - | and from court proceedings. | |
| 22 | + | and from court proceedings. Indigent litigants include persons who | |
| 23 | + | are civil litigants, criminal defendants, respondents, or the | |
| 24 | + | subject of a legal proceeding, and also includes persons having | |
| 25 | + | custody of a person who is a civil litigant, criminal defendant, | |
| 26 | + | respondent, or the subject of a civil, criminal, or juvenile | |
| 27 | + | matter. | |
| 39 | 28 | (c) Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a | |
| 40 | 29 | county's fiscal year, the county may submit an application for a | |
| 41 | 30 | grant to the comptroller. A county may submit only one application | |
| 42 | 31 | each fiscal year. | |
| 43 | 32 | (d) The comptroller shall award a grant to a county that | |
| 44 | 33 | applies for the grant using money appropriated to the comptroller | |
| 45 | 34 | for that purpose. A county that is awarded a grant shall use or | |
| 46 | 35 | authorize the use of the grant money only to assist indigent | |
| 47 | - | litigants with transportation to and from court proceedings, | |
| 48 | - | including the purchase or reimbursement of: | |
| 49 | - | (1) bus passes; | |
| 50 | - | (2) motor vehicle fuel; | |
| 51 | - | (3) rideshare service charges or taxi fares; or | |
| 52 | - | (4) mileage. | |
| 36 | + | litigants with transportation to and from court proceedings. | |
| 53 | 37 | (e) The comptroller shall adopt rules necessary to | |
| 54 | 38 | implement this section, including rules that establish: | |
| 55 | 39 | (1) a standardized application process, including the | |
| 56 | 40 | form to be used to apply for a grant and the manner of submitting the | |
| 57 | 41 | form; | |
| 58 | 42 | (2) deadlines for: | |
| 59 | 43 | (A) applying for the grant; | |
| 60 | 44 | (B) disbursement of grant money; and | |
| 61 | 45 | (C) spending grant money; | |
| 62 | 46 | (3) guidelines for how grant money may be used; and | |
| 63 | 47 | (4) procedures for: | |
| 64 | 48 | (A) monitoring the disbursement of grant money to | |
| 65 | 49 | ensure compliance with this section; and | |
| 66 | 50 | (B) the return of grant money that was not used by | |
| 67 | 51 | a county for a purpose authorized by this section. | |
| 68 | 52 | SECTION 2. A county may apply for a county indigent litigant | |
| 69 | - | transportation assistance grant on or after January 1, | |
| 70 | - | SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, | |
| 53 | + | transportation assistance grant on or after January 1, 2026. | |
| 54 | + | SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2026, the comptroller | |
| 71 | 55 | of public accounts shall comply with the requirements of Section | |
| 72 | 56 | 130.914, Local Government Code, as added by this Act. | |
| 73 | - | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, | |
| 57 | + | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |