LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                            February 22, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Bob Turner, Chair, House Committee on Public
               Safety
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB19  by Goolsby (Relating to denial of the renewal of a
               driver's license for failure to pay parking tickets.), As
               Introduced
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  HB19, As Introduced:  positive impact of $1,316,018 through the       *
*  biennium ending August 31, 2001.                                      *
*                                                                        *
*  The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal      *
*  basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of    *
*  the bill.                                                             *
**************************************************************************
  
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2000                             $377,266  *
          *       2001                              938,752  *
          *       2002                              938,752  *
          *       2003                              938,752  *
          *       2004                              938,752  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
**************************************************************************
*Fiscal    Probable Revenue         Probable        Change in Number of  *
* Year     Gain/(Loss) from    Savings/(Cost) from State Employees from  *
*        General Revenue Fund General Revenue Fund        FY 1999        *
*                0001                 0001                               *
*  2000             $1,036,613           $(659,347)                  2.0 *
*  2001              1,036,613             (97,861)                  2.0 *
*  2002              1,036,613             (97,861)                  2.0 *
*  2003              1,036,613             (97,861)                  2.0 *
*  2004              1,036,613             (97,861)                  2.0 *
**************************************************************************
  
Technology Impact
  
It is estimated that the technological impact of HB19 would be $602,761
for FY2000 and $66,018 for each year thereafter.
  
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The bill would allow DPS to enter into contracts with municipalities to
deny renewal of driver's licenses for persons charged with municipal
parking violations when those persons fail to make a timely appearance
in court to challenge the charge, their fines are past due, and the
total amount of their fines exceed $100 in the aggregate.  To
participate in the program created by this bill, municipalities would be
required to include a warning on a parking citation that failure to pay
a parking fine may result in the denial of renewal of one's driver's
license.
  
  
Methodology
  
The 1997 Texas Judicial System Annual Report indicates that 19 percent of
traffic cases filed are parking violations (1,063,197 cases).  DPS
estimates that 13 percent of those parking violations could meet the
criteria of this bill.  Based on the responses by local governments, not
all counties and municipalities would participate in the program.
Assuming that 50 percent of the local governments would participate, it
is estimated that this bill would result in 69,107 additional denial
transactions the department would have to evaluate and process annually.
DPS would need one additional administrative technician to handle these
additional tasks.  There would be a much greater impact to DPS'
Information Management Service (IMS) regarding computer coding and
programming.  IMS would need one additional programmer analyst.

The bill would have the potential to generate revenue.  Those guilty of
failure to pay parking tickets
would be required to pay a $30 administrative fee, $20 of which would be
sent to the Comptroller, $10
of which would be retained in the general fund of the county or
municipality participating in the program.

Assuming that 75 percent of the persons facing denial of driver's license
renewal would pay the $30 fee, it is estimated that the state would
collect $1,036,613 in administrative fees per fiscal year.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
It is estimated that the units of local government could receive as much
as $5,701,369 in additional fee revenue statewide per fiscal year. This
estimate is based on 50 percent of the counties and municipalities
participating in the program and 75 percent of the persons with
delinquent parking fines of at least $100 in the aggregate paying the
overdue fines and the administrative fee.

Local governments would incur administrative costs to implement the
program, somewhat offsetting the additional revenues.


  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, MD, TL