The Comptroller of Public Accounts adopts amendments to §5.1, concerning definitions, §5.4, concerning claims for additional compensation for active, retired, and former district judges, §5.6, concerning expense accounts of district judges and district attorneys, and §5.8, concerning payroll procedures: district judges, criminal district judges, district attorneys, criminal district attorney. Section 5.1 is adopted with one change to the proposed text as published in the September 1, 2006, issue of the Texas Register (31 TexReg 7097). Sections 5.4, 5.6 and 5.8 are adopted without change and will not be republished.

The adopted amendments relate to procedures for paying claims made by certain judges and criminal, district, and county attorneys from the Comptroller's Judiciary Section appropriation. Section 5.1 is amended to update the definition of "official mileage guide" to mean the mileage guide currently adopted by the comptroller's office. A minor change in §5.1 is necessary to correct the definition of "official mileage guide" in order to reference the "Texas Mileage Guide" instead of the "State of Texas Travel Allowance Guide" as set out in the published rule. Section 5.4 is amended to update the statutory reference from the Texas Civil Statutes to the Government Code. Section 5.6 is amended for clarity by adding "travel" to the title and deleting reference to outdated expense items in subsection (a)(1)(F) and subsection (c). Section 5.8 is amended to update the reference to the Internal Revenue Service form 204 which is now IRS Form W-4.

No comments were received regarding adoption of the amendment.

The amendments are adopted under Government Code, §§24.019, 43.004 and 74.061; and Code of Criminal Procedure, Articles 24.28 and 35.27.

The amendments implement Government Code, §660.043(c), §24.019; and Code of Criminal Procedure, Articles 24.28 and 35.27.