grants to help counties pay judges and court staff

The text as introduced · 390 words

By: Zaffirini
S.B. No. 2364

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a grant program to provide salary assistance for

judicial and court personnel in rural counties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 130, Local Government

Code, is amended by adding Section 130.914 to read as follows:

Sec. 130.914. RURAL JUDICIAL AND COURT PERSONNEL SALARY

ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. (a) In this section:

(1) "Grant" means a grant the comptroller awards under

the rural judicial and court personnel salary assistance grant

program established by this section.

(2) "Qualified county" means a county with a

population of 300,000 or less.

(3) "Office" means the Office of Court Administration.

(b) The comptroller in collaboration with the Office shall

establish and administer the rural judicial and court personnel

salary assistance grant program to support the state purpose of

ensuring courts operate effectively and efficiently across this

state by providing funds for salary assistance and retention

incentives for judicial and court personnel in qualified counties.

(c) Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a

qualified county's fiscal year, the county may submit a grant

application to the comptroller. A county may submit only one grant

application each fiscal year.

(d) The comptroller and the Office shall determine whether

to award a grant to a qualified county applicant.

(e) The comptroller in collaboration with the Office shall

adopt rules necessary to implement this section, including rules to

establish:

(1) a standardized application process, including the

grant application form and the manner of submitting the form;

(2) deadlines for:

(A) applying for the grant;

(B) disbursing grant money; and

(C) spending grant money; and

(3) procedures for:

(A) monitoring the disbursement of grant money to

ensure compliance with this section; and

(B) the return of grant money a county uses for a

purpose not authorized by this section.

SECTION 2. A qualified county, as defined by Section

130.914, Local Government Code, as added by this Act, may not apply

for a rural judicial and court personnel salary assistance grant

before January 1, 2026.

SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2026, the comptroller

of public accounts shall comply with the requirements of Section

130.914, Local Government Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.