Sec. 51.601. COURT REPORTER SERVICE FEE. (a) The clerk of each court that has an official court reporter shall collect a court reporter service fee of $15 as a court cost in each civil case filed with the clerk to maintain a court reporter who is available for assignment in the court.

(a-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the clerk of each court that has an official court reporter and that serves a county with a population of 750,000 or more and located on the Texas-Mexico border shall collect a court reporter service fee of $30 as a court cost in each civil case filed with the clerk to maintain a court reporter who is available for assignment in the court.

(b) The clerk shall collect this fee in the manner provided for other court costs and shall deliver the fee to the county treasurer, or the person who performs the duties of the county treasurer, of the county in which the court sits. The county treasurer, or the person who performs the duties of the county treasurer, shall deposit the fees received into the court reporter service fund.

(c) The commissioners court of the county shall administer the court reporter service fund to assist in the payment of court-reporter-related services, that may include maintaining an adequate number of court reporters to provide services to the courts, obtaining court reporter transcription services, closed-caption transcription machines, Braille transcription services, or other transcription services to comply with state or federal laws, or providing any other service related to the functions of a court reporter.

(d) The commissioners court shall, in administering the court reporter service fund, assist any court in which a case is filed that requires the payment of the court reporter service fee.

(e) This section does not apply to an action brought to collect delinquent taxes.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 480, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1985. Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1080, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 144, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995.

Amended by:

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1047 (H.B. 4529), Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 2009.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1175 (H.B. 3361), Sec. 1, eff. June 14, 2019.