| 1 | 1 | | By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 2364 |
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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 a grant program to provide salary assistance for |
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| 9 | 9 | | judicial and court personnel in rural counties. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 130, Local Government |
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| 12 | 12 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 130.914 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 130.914. RURAL JUDICIAL AND COURT PERSONNEL SALARY |
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| 14 | 14 | | ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. (a) In this section: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) "Grant" means a grant the comptroller awards under |
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| 16 | 16 | | the rural judicial and court personnel salary assistance grant |
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| 17 | 17 | | program established by this section. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) "Qualified county" means a county with a |
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| 19 | 19 | | population of 300,000 or less. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) "Office" means the Office of Court Administration. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) The comptroller in collaboration with the Office shall |
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| 22 | 22 | | establish and administer the rural judicial and court personnel |
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| 23 | 23 | | salary assistance grant program to support the state purpose of |
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| 24 | 24 | | ensuring courts operate effectively and efficiently across this |
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| 25 | 25 | | state by providing funds for salary assistance and retention |
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| 26 | 26 | | incentives for judicial and court personnel in qualified counties. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a |
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| 28 | 28 | | qualified county's fiscal year, the county may submit a grant |
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| 29 | 29 | | application to the comptroller. A county may submit only one grant |
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| 30 | 30 | | application each fiscal year. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (d) The comptroller and the Office shall determine whether |
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| 32 | 32 | | to award a grant to a qualified county applicant. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (e) The comptroller in collaboration with the Office shall |
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| 34 | 34 | | adopt rules necessary to implement this section, including rules to |
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| 35 | 35 | | establish: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (1) a standardized application process, including the |
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| 37 | 37 | | grant application form and the manner of submitting the form; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (2) deadlines for: |
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| 39 | 39 | | (A) applying for the grant; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (B) disbursing grant money; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (C) spending grant money; and |
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| 42 | 42 | | (3) procedures for: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (A) monitoring the disbursement of grant money to |
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| 44 | 44 | | ensure compliance with this section; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (B) the return of grant money a county uses for a |
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| 46 | 46 | | purpose not authorized by this section. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 2. A qualified county, as defined by Section |
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| 48 | 48 | | 130.914, Local Government Code, as added by this Act, may not apply |
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| 49 | 49 | | for a rural judicial and court personnel salary assistance grant |
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| 50 | 50 | | before January 1, 2026. |
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| 51 | 51 | | SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2026, the comptroller |
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| 52 | 52 | | of public accounts shall comply with the requirements of Section |
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| 53 | 53 | | 130.914, Local Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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