| 1 | 1 | | By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 2341 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to the establishment of a grant program to provide |
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| 9 | 9 | | financial assistance to counties for transportation assistance to |
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| 10 | 10 | | indigent litigants. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 130, Local Government Code, |
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| 13 | 13 | | is amended by adding Section 130.914 to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 130.914. COUNTY INDIGENT LITIGANT TRANSPORTATION |
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| 15 | 15 | | ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. (a) In this section, "grant" means a |
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| 16 | 16 | | grant authorized to be awarded by the comptroller under the county |
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| 17 | 17 | | indigent litigant transportation assistance grant program |
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| 18 | 18 | | established by this section. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) The comptroller shall establish and administer the |
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| 20 | 20 | | county indigent litigant transportation assistance grant program |
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| 21 | 21 | | to support the state purpose of ensuring efficient administration |
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| 22 | 22 | | of justice throughout the state by providing financial assistance |
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| 23 | 23 | | to counties that assist indigent litigants with transportation to |
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| 24 | 24 | | and from court proceedings. Indigent litigants include persons who |
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| 25 | 25 | | are civil litigants, criminal defendants, respondents, or the |
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| 26 | 26 | | subject of a legal proceeding, and also includes persons having |
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| 27 | 27 | | custody of a person who is a civil litigant, criminal defendant, |
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| 28 | 28 | | respondent, or the subject of a civil, criminal, or juvenile |
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| 29 | 29 | | matter. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (c) Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a |
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| 31 | 31 | | county's fiscal year, the county may submit an application for a |
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| 32 | 32 | | grant to the comptroller. A county may submit only one application |
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| 33 | 33 | | each fiscal year. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (d) The comptroller shall award a grant to a county that |
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| 35 | 35 | | applies for the grant using money appropriated to the comptroller |
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| 36 | 36 | | for that purpose. A county that is awarded a grant shall use or |
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| 37 | 37 | | authorize the use of the grant money only to assist indigent |
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| 38 | 38 | | litigants with transportation to and from court proceedings. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (e) The comptroller shall adopt rules necessary to |
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| 40 | 40 | | implement this section, including rules that establish: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (1) a standardized application process, including the |
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| 42 | 42 | | form to be used to apply for a grant and the manner of submitting the |
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| 43 | 43 | | form; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (2) deadlines for: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (A) applying for the grant; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (B) disbursement of grant money; and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (C) spending grant money; |
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| 48 | 48 | | (3) guidelines for how grant money may be used; and |
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| 49 | 49 | | (4) procedures for: |
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| 50 | 50 | | (A) monitoring the disbursement of grant money to |
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| 51 | 51 | | ensure compliance with this section; and |
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| 52 | 52 | | (B) the return of grant money that was not used by |
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| 53 | 53 | | a county for a purpose authorized by this section. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 2. A county may apply for a county indigent litigant |
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| 55 | 55 | | transportation assistance grant on or after January 1, 2026. |
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| 56 | 56 | | SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2026, the comptroller |
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| 57 | 57 | | of public accounts shall comply with the requirements of Section |
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| 58 | 58 | | 130.914, Local Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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