LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  March 25, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Ron E. Lewis, Chair            IN RE:  House Bill No. 1504
          Committee on County Affairs                              By: Dutton
          House
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB1504 ( Relating 
to the reimbursement of jurors.) this office has detemined the 
following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB1504-As Introduced
         
Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a net 
impact of $0 to General Revenue Related Funds through the biennium 
ending August 31, 1999.
         
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated, since jury 
reimbursements affected by this bill are paid by counties.
         
 
Fiscal Analysis
 
This bill would increase the travel and expense reimbursements 
paid to jurors from the current range of $6 to $30 to a mandatory 
$50 per day for persons serving on either the grand or petit 
juries.
 
Methodolgy
 
According to the Comptroller of Public Accounts, there were 
13,663 petit jury trials in district, county, and justice of 
the peace courts in fiscal year 1996.  Data collected by the 
Comptroller from a sample of counties suggests that jurors are 
paid approximately $8 per day on average.  Assuming 12 jurors 
per trial, $8 per day per juror, and an average three days per 
juror, it is estimated that counties currently pay petit jurors 
a total of $3.9 million per year.

Although no data is available 
for the number of grand jury trials, data from a sample of counties 
was collected by the Comptroller of Public Accounts suggesting 
that a county makes payments to grand jurors that equal approximately 
8.5 percent of payments made to petit jurors.  Assuming this 
ratio holds relatively constant, it is estimated that an additional 
$330,000 is paid to grand jurors statewide each year.  Total 
county payments to petit and grand jurors combined is therefore 
estimated to be approximately $4.2 million per year.

It is 
estimated that this bill would have the effect of increasing 
the amount of juror payments by counties by a factor of 6.25, 
or the ratio of an increase from $8 per day to $50 per day.
The probable fiscal implications of implementing the provisions 
of the bill during each of the first five years following passage 
is estimated as follows:
 
Five Year Impact:
 
Fiscal Year Probable           
            Savings/(Cost)                                                                                
            to Counties                                                                                   
            LCL-COUNTY                                                                                     
       1998      ($2,300,000)                                                                        
       1998       (2,300,000)                                                                        
       2000       (2,300,000)                                                                        
       2001       (2,300,000)                                                                        
       2002       (2,300,000)                                                                        
 
 
         Net Impact on General Revenue Related Funds:
 
The probable fiscal implication to General Revenue related funds 
during each of the first five years is estimated as follows:
 
              Fiscal Year      Probable Net Postive/(Negative)
                               General Revenue Related Funds
                                             Funds
               1998                   $0
               1999                    0
               2000                    0
               2001                    0
               2002                    0
 
Similar annual fiscal implications would continue as long as 
the provisions of the bill are in effect.
          
The Comptroller of Public Accounts estimates the following increases 
in juror costs to individual counties as a result of this bill: 
 Dallas County, $6.8 million; Tarrant County, $4.5 million; 
and Travis County, $1.7 million. 
          
   Source:            Agencies:   212   Office of Court Administration
                                         304   Comptroller of Public Accounts
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,TL