Sec. 51.0051.  ADDITIONAL FEES.  (a)  In addition to other fees authorized or required by law, the clerk of the supreme court shall collect an additional fee on the filing of any application or proceeding otherwise requiring a filing fee, including an appeal.  The additional fee is set by order or rule of the supreme court in an amount necessary to defray costs and expenses incurred in the operation of the court, not to exceed $50.
(b)  The clerk shall collect fees imposed under this section in the same manner as other fees, fines, or costs are collected in the proceeding and shall send the fees imposed under this section to the comptroller not later than the last day of the month following each calendar quarter.  The comptroller shall deposit the fees received to the credit of the judicial fund.
(c)  The comptroller shall establish a supreme court support account in the judicial fund.  Fees received under this section may be appropriated only to the supreme court support account, and the comptroller shall allocate to the account amounts as designated in the General Appropriations Act from the judicial fund that were deposited under this section.
(d)  The supreme court shall administer the funds deposited under this section and appropriated to the supreme court support account.  The chief justice may make disbursements from the account for court-related purposes to defray costs and expenses incurred in the operation of the supreme court.
(e)  The supreme court shall file an accounting with the Legislative Budget Board not later than November 1 following each state fiscal year showing disbursements made from the supreme court support account during the previous state fiscal year and the purpose of each disbursement.  The expenditures are subject to audit by the comptroller and the state auditor.
Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1408 (S.B. 1182), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2007.