Sec. 772.517. COLLECTION OF FEE. (a) Each billed service user is liable for the fee imposed under Section 772.516 until the fee is paid to the service supplier. The fee must be added to and stated separately in the service user's bill from the service supplier. The service supplier shall collect the fee at the same time as the service charge to the service user in accordance with the service supplier's regular billing practice. A business service user that provides residential facilities and owns or leases a publicly or privately owned telephone switch used to provide telephone service to facility residents shall collect the 9-1-1 emergency service fee and transmit the fees monthly to the district.

(b) The amount collected by a service supplier from the fee is due quarterly. The service supplier shall remit the amount collected in a calendar quarter to the district not later than the 60th day after the last day of the calendar quarter. With each payment, the service supplier shall file a return in a form prescribed by the board.

(c) Both a service supplier and a business service user under Subsection (a) shall maintain records of the amount of fees the service supplier or business service user collects until at least the second anniversary of the date of collection. The board may require, at the board's expense, an annual audit of the service supplier's or business service user's books and records with respect to the collection and remittance of the fees.

(d) A business service user that does not collect and remit the 9-1-1 emergency service fee as required is subject to a civil cause of action under Subsection (g). A sworn affidavit by the district specifying the unremitted fees is prima facie evidence that the fees were not remitted and of the amount of the unremitted fees.

(e) A service supplier may retain an administrative fee of two percent of the amount of fees the service supplier collects under this section.

(f) A service supplier is not required to take any legal action to enforce the collection of the 9-1-1 emergency service fee. The service supplier shall provide the district with an annual certificate of delinquency that includes the amount of all delinquent fees and the name and address of each nonpaying service user. The certificate of delinquency is prima facie evidence that a fee included in the certificate is delinquent and of the amount of the delinquent fee. A service user account is considered delinquent if the fee is not paid to the service supplier before the 31st day after the payment due date stated on the user's bill from the service supplier.

(g) The district may file legal proceedings against a service user to collect fees not paid by the service user and may establish internal collection procedures and recover the cost of collection from the nonpaying service user. If legal proceedings are filed by the district, the court may award costs, attorney's fees, and interest to be paid by the nonpaying service user. A delinquent fee accrues interest at the legal rate beginning on the date the payment becomes due.

Added by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 552 (S.B. 628), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013.