LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session April 22, 1999 TO: Honorable Senfronia Thompson, Chair, House Committee on Judicial Affairs FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE: HB1623 by Goodman (Relating to the authority of the governing body of a municipality to create a municipal court technology fund and to require certain defendants to pay court for deposit), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted ************************************************************************** * No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. * ************************************************************************** Local Government Impact The bill would allow a municipality to assess a technology fee of $4 as a cost of court to defendants convicted of misdemeanor offenses in a municipal court or a municipal court of record. The proceeds of the fee would be deposited into a fund known as the Municipal Court Technology Fund and could be used only to finance the purchase of technological enhancements for a municipal court or a municipal court of record. The following are estimates of the potential additional annual revenue selected municipalities could generate from the technology fee. These estimates are based on conviction data provided by the respective municipalities. Austin $ 749,568 Denton $116,000 Farmers Branch $ 96,000 Galveston $136,428 Grand Prairie $ 87,984 Lubbock $200,000 Pampa $ 17,400 San Antonio $ 500,000 Source Agencies: LBB Staff: JK, PE, TL