Sec. 76.013. RESTITUTION

(a) If a judge requires a defendant to make restitution to a victim of the defendant's offense, and a payment is received by a department from the defendant for transmittal to a victim of the offense, the department that receives the payment for disbursement to the victim shall immediately deposit the payment in an interest-bearing account in the county treasury as required by Section 140.003(f), Local Government Code.

(b) If an initial restitution payment is received by a department, the department immediately shall notify the victim of that fact by certified mail, mailed to the last known address of the victim. If a victim then makes a claim for payment, the department promptly shall remit the payment to the victim. A department is obligated to make a good faith effort to locate and notify a victim that an unclaimed payment exists. The department satisfies the good faith requirement under this subsection by sending to the victim by certified mail on any one occasion during the period the defendant is required to make payments a notice that the victim is entitled to an unclaimed payment. Not earlier than the fifth anniversary of the date on which the department mails notice under this subsection, if the victim has not made a claim for payment, the department shall transfer from the interest-bearing account to the comptroller all payments received. After making an initial transfer of payments to the comptroller under this subsection, the department, not later than the 121st day after the date the department receives a subsequent payment, shall transfer the subsequent payment to the comptroller. The department shall deduct five percent of the payment or subsequent payment as a collection fee and deduct any interest accrued on the payment or subsequent payment before transferring the payment to the comptroller under this subsection. The comptroller shall deposit the payment in the state treasury to the credit of the compensation to victims of crime auxiliary fund.

(c) The collection fee under Subsection (b) and the accrued interest under Subsections (a) and (b) shall be deposited in the special fund of the county treasury provided by Section 509.011 to be used for the same purposes for which state aid may be used under that section. The department has a maximum of 121 days after the five-year expiration date to transfer the funds to the comptroller's office. Failure to comply with the 121-day deadline will result in a five percent collection fee penalty calculated from the total deposit and all interest attributable to the unclaimed funds.

(d) If the victim of the offense claims the payment during the five-year period in which the payment is held in the interest-bearing account, the department shall pay the victim the amount of the original payment, less any interest earned while holding the payment. After the payment has been transferred to the comptroller, the department has no liability in regard to the payment, and any claim for the payment must be made to the comptroller. If the victim makes a claim to the comptroller, the comptroller shall pay the victim the amount of the original payment, less the collection fee, from the compensation to victims of crime auxiliary fund.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 7.11, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 9.04(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 796, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.