SB 41 Consolidates Court Costs and Fees
Senate Bill 41 by Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), which was filed June 14 without the Governor’s signature and takes effect Jan. 1, consolidates civil court costs and filing fees to establish a streamlined process and standardize these costs statewide. Some changes to fees were made in response to court rulings that declared certain fees unconstitutional.
In addition, SB 41 provides specific guidance as to the remittance and distribution of the court costs and fees, specifying that portion of each which shall go to the state for deposit into the appropriate dedicated revenue accounts, the portion to be retained locally, and specifies allowable expenditures of the collected revenue.
TAC will continue to provide information to counties as it becomes available to assist with preparation for SB 41’s January implementation.
For more information about this article, contact Nanette Forbes.