LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              March 15, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Senfronia Thompson, Chair, House Committee on
               Judicial Affairs
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB1477  by Oliveira (Relating to the amount of court
               costs imposed for the support of the county law
               library.), As Introduced
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
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FISCAL ANALYSIS

The bill would allow a county commissioners court to raise the maximum
amount of court costs which can be charged in civil suits for the support
of the county law library from the current $20 to $35.

METHODOLOGY

State agencies could be liable for additional court costs in civil cases
in which the state would not prevail. The cost would depend on the
number of cases in which the state would not prevail in counties that
would choose to raise court costs. The additional cost to the state is
not anticipated to be significant, according to the Attorney General's
Office.
  
Local Government Impact
  
In fiscal year 1998, there were 459,546 new civil cases filed in the
district and county courts (364,676 in District and 94,870 in County).
Applying the $15 increase to the 1998 filings, the potential revenue to
county law library funds statewide is approximately $6,893,190.  This
assumes that all commissioners courts decide to increase the fee in all
district and county courts. The impact on each county would depend on the
amount of the fee currently being collected, and the amount of the
increase, if any, approved by the commissioner's court.

The six counties listed below, all currently charging the maximum $20
fee, estimate that if the commissioners court  would choose to increase
the fee to the $35 maximum permitted by the bill, the probable annual
revenue gain would be as follows:

Travis County         $200,000 - $220,000
Potter County              $40,000 - $50,000
Collin County              $80,000 - $90,000
Washington County          $3,500 - $5,000
Tarrant County         $420,000 - $440,000
Denton County                                 $88,500

Harris County, which currently charges only $15 per case, reports that
the bill would have no impact, since the county is not likely to raise
the fee beyond $20.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, PE, TL