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
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
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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