LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              April 12, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Toby Goodman, Chair, House Committee on
               Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB1884  by Grusendorf (Relating to the collection and
               enforcement of child support.), As Introduced
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
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The bill would require the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to submit
a request to the Legislature for an appropriation of funds to cover the
costs and fees incurred by counties in providing child support
enforcement services that are not reimbursed by the federal government.
The current statutory language that the OAG is liable for these costs
only in the event that the Legislature makes a specific appropriation to
the OAG remains unchanged.   The OAG estimates that counties will incur
costs of $5,414,561 in FY2000, $5,631,144 in FY2001, $5,856,390 in
FY2001, $6,090,645 in FY2003, and $6,334,271 in FY2004.
  
Local Government Impact
  
The bill's provision allowing a court to impose a child support service
fee of up to $5 per month could result in increased revenues to county
Friend of the Court funds.  The revenue increase would depend on the
number of counties that would impose the fee and the collection rate.
Since Texas counties manage approximately 750,000 private child support
cases annually, the maximum amount of revenue to county Friend of the
Court funds could be $45 million.  Any proceeds from the fee would be
used by counties to provide friend of the court services.   With respect
to the provision requiring the OAG to request appropriations to pay for
the state's share of costs incurred by counties, the counties would
realize a savings, in the amounts shown above, only in the event that
the Legislature appropriated money to reimburse the child support
enforcement costs incurred.
  
  
Source Agencies:   304   Comptroller of Public Accounts, 302   Office Of
                   The Attorney General
LBB Staff:         JK, MD, SC, TL