1-1 By: Ellis S.C.R. No. 12 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed January 22, 1999; January 27, 1999, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence; 1-4 February 24, 1999, reported favorably, as amended, by the following 1-5 vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; February 24, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1 By: Ellis 1-7 Amend S.C.R. 12, on page 1, line 43, by striking "March 1, 1-8 1999" and substituting "January 1, 2001". 1-9 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-10 WHEREAS, The statewide collection rate for fines, fees, and 1-11 court costs imposed on criminal defendants is unacceptably low as 1-12 shown by a 1996 survey by the Office of Court Administration of the 1-13 Texas Judicial System that found a county-level court collection 1-14 rate of 61 percent, for an average loss of $412,000 in uncollected 1-15 fines, and a district court collection rate of just 26 percent, for 1-16 an average loss of $570,000; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Several Texas counties currently use a variety of 1-18 methods to increase their rate of collection, such as collecting 50 1-19 percent of the fees and fines within the first 48 hours, 1-20 determining defendants' ability to pay, and accepting personal 1-21 property or community service as repayment options; and 1-22 WHEREAS, In other jurisdictions, particularly in smaller 1-23 counties and cities with limited resources, collection efforts have 1-24 been hampered by a number of factors, including an increase in the 1-25 number of fees and a fee structure that is too complicated; and 1-26 WHEREAS, A simplification of the fee collection process would 1-27 enable smaller jurisdictions to use a lesser share of their limited 1-28 resources in identifying, collecting, and remitting fees; and 1-29 WHEREAS, Courts also could increase their efficiency in 1-30 collections through other measures such as on-site training, 1-31 manuals, software, and toll-free assistance lines if such means 1-32 were to be made available to them; and 1-33 WHEREAS, Because court orders are effectively broken when the 1-34 fines, fees, and court costs that have been imposed on defendants 1-35 by the courts remain uncollected, it is imperative that the courts' 1-36 unacceptably low collection rates be improved; now, therefore, be 1-37 it 1-38 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-39 hereby direct the comptroller of public accounts to develop 1-40 strategies for increasing the efficiency and reducing the 1-41 complexity of fee collection and dispersal by county and municipal 1-42 clerks and to submit recommendations to the legislature no later 1-43 than March 1, 1999; and, be it further 1-44 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official 1-45 copy of this resolution to the comptroller of public accounts. 1-46 * * * * *