Opinion No.

Office of the Attorney General — State of Texas John Cornyn The Honorable C.E. "Mike" Thomas, III Howard County Attorney P.O. Box 2096 Big Spring, Texas 79721

Re: Whether a county with a regional mental-health hospital may charge a "document preparation fee" of the county that is responsible for the costs of a hospital patient's mental-health proceeding, and related question (RQ-0306-JC)

Dear Mr. Thomas:

A county that is responsible for paying the costs of a hospital patient's mental-health proceeding under section571.018(c) of the Health and Safety Code may be ordered to pay all costs including…