SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, A 1996 survey by the Office of Court Administration 1-2 of the Texas Judicial System revealed that county-level courts have 1-3 a collection rate of 61 percent for an average loss of $412,000 in 1-4 uncollected fines, while district courts collect just 26 percent 1-5 for an average loss of $570,000; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Although the statewide collection rate for fines, 1-7 fees, and court costs imposed on criminal defendants remains 1-8 unacceptably low, several Texas counties such as Dallas, Brazoria, 1-9 and Harris have improved their collection rates using innovative 1-10 in-house and private-sector collection strategies that have served 1-11 as effective models for other counties; and 1-12 WHEREAS, Enormous amounts of data are generated on 1-13 defendants, and the use of information technology to store and 1-14 access data, such as a centralized computer tracking system, can 1-15 make the work performed by collections personnel more manageable; 1-16 and 1-17 WHEREAS, Recognizing this fact, the Commission on Judicial 1-18 Efficiency recommended in 1996 that technology be improved in all 1-19 Texas county and municipal courts; and 1-20 WHEREAS, A computerized collections system and other 1-21 information technologies used in conjunction with conventional 1-22 collection techniques would better enable the courts to track and 1-23 assess the repayment status and residency of defendants, provide 1-24 other information necessary in collecting debts, facilitate the 2-1 transfer of information, and thus enhance the courts' collection 2-2 efforts and improve their fine collection rates; now, therefore, be 2-3 it 2-4 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-5 hereby request that the Office of Court Administration of the Texas 2-6 Judicial System work with the Judicial Committee on Information 2-7 Technology to develop recommendations for using technology and 2-8 training to notify counties in which an offense has been committed 2-9 of the defendant's residency and the fine's repayment status and 2-10 that the office submit its recommendations to the legislature no 2-11 later than January 1, 2001; and, be it further 2-12 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official 2-13 copy of this resolution to the director of the Office of Court 2-14 Administration of the Texas Judicial System and to the presiding 2-15 officer of the Judicial Committee on Information Technology. _______________________________ _______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 14 was adopted by the Senate on April 30, 1999. _______________________________ Secretary of the Senate I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 14 was adopted by the House on May 26, 1999. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House Approved: _______________________________ Date _______________________________ Governor