HBA-JLV H.B. 950 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 950 By: Garcia Judicial Affairs 3/13/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law provides that the minimum reimbursement amount paid to jurors is $6 per day. Today, many counties in Texas continue to pay jurors this minimum level of compensation and as a result, many people may resist jury duty. House Bill 950 raises the minimum juror reimbursement amount, calls for a fee to be paid to the clerk of the court for each civil case filed, and requires that a defendant who is convicted of or who receives deferred adjudication for an offense in a district court, county court, county court at law, or justice court pay a court fee as well. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 950 amends the Government Code to increase, from $6 to $40, the minimum reimbursement amount entitled to jurors and persons responding to the process of a court but who are excused from jury duty after their voir dire examination. This reimbursement is for travel and other expenses for each day or fraction of each day served in court. H.B. 950 amends the Government Code and Code of Criminal Procedure to require the clerk of each district court, county court, county court at law, and justice court to collect a fee of $10 for court costs in each civil case filed with the clerk or from a convicted defendant or a defendant who receives deferred adjudication. The clerk is required to collect the fee in the manner provided for other court costs and to deliver the fee to the treasurer of the county in which the court sits. The county treasurer is required to deposit the fee received in the county general fund to be used only to provide reimbursement for expenses incurred by jurors and persons who attend court in response to jury summons in a district court, county court, county court at law, or justice court in the county. The bill amends the Government Code to require the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System (office) to review the reimbursement provided to jurors and persons who attend court in response to jury summons in a district court, county court, county court at law, and justice court and, not later than January 1 of every fourth year, report the results of the review to the legislature. The bill requires the office to submit the first report to the legislature no later than January 1, 2005. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.