- (a) With the agreement of the parties, and subject to Subsection (b), a trial judge may order that a hearing of a preliminary matter or witness testimony at trial may be conducted by electronic means, including satellite transmission, closed-circuit television transmission, or any other method of two-way electronic communication that is available to the parties, approved by the court, and capable of visually and audibly recording the proceedings.
- (b) Witness testimony at trial may be conducted by electronic means only if the witness is deposed before the commencement of the trial.
- (c) A court that allows a transmission made under this section shall consider it accurate and include it in the record of the case, unless the court determines otherwise.
(d) A party to a transmission made under this section that is not in court:
- (1) shall provide at the party's own expense any equipment that is compatible with the equipment used in court; and
- (2) may record the proceedings at the party's own expense.
- (e) A copy of a proceeding videotaped by a court under this section may be obtained from the clerk of the court on payment of a reasonable amount to cover the cost of producing the copy.
- (f) Expenses incurred by a court in conducting a proceeding or recording a transmission under this section shall be assessed and collected as court costs.
Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 788, Sec. 1, eff. June 14, 2001.