Sec. 51.961. FAMILY PROTECTION FEE

(a) The commissioners court of a county shall adopt a family protection fee in an amount not to exceed $15.

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), the district clerk or county clerk shall collect the family protection fee at the time a suit for dissolution of a marriage under Chapter 6, Family Code, is filed. The fee is in addition to any other fee collected by the district clerk or county clerk.

(c) The clerk may not collect a fee under this section from a person who is protected by an order issued under:

(1) Subtitle B, Title 4, Family Code; or

(2) Article 17.292, Code of Criminal Procedure.

(d) The clerk shall pay a fee collected under this section to the appropriate officer of the county in which the suit is filed for deposit in the county treasury to the credit of the family protection account. The account may be used by the commissioners court of the county only to fund a service provider located in that county or an adjacent county. The commissioners court may provide funding to a nonprofit organization that provides services described by Subsection (e).

(e) A service provider who receives funds under Subsection (d) may provide family violence and child abuse prevention, intervention, family strengthening, mental health, counseling, legal, and marriage preservation services to families that are at risk of experiencing or that have experienced family violence or the abuse or neglect of a child.

(f) In this section, "family violence" has the meaning assigned by Section 71.004, Family Code.

(g) Repealed by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 637, Sec. 3, eff. June 15, 2007.

Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 198, Sec. 2.165(a), eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Amended by: Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 268 , Sec. 1.66, eff. September 1, 2005. Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 637 , Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2007. Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 637 , Sec. 3, eff. June 15, 2007.