LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              March 30, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Tom Ramsay, Chair, House Committee on County
               Affairs
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB 1933  by Lewis, Glenn (Relating to allowing a county
               clerk to impose a fee for certain background checks.), As
               Introduced
  
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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 county clerk to collect a fee of up to $5 from an
applicant for a license to carry a concealed weapon.  The funds would be
used by the county clerk to conduct a search of county records involving
the mental health background of the applicant at the request of the Texas
Department of Public Safety (DPS).

The bill could result in a revenue gain to counties that choose to assess
the additional fee. The precise amount of the revenue gain would depend
on the amount of the fee, which would be at the discretion of the county
clerk. According to DPS, the department requested approximately 36,360
background checks in calendar 1998. Assuming all Texas counties would
charge the maximum fee, the revenue gain to counties statewide could be
approximately $181,800 per year.

Representatives of Tarrant County were contacted and indicated that the
county would likely charge the entire $5. Based on 3,179 mental health
background checks in calendar 1998, Tarrant County would expect to
collect an additional $15,895 in revenues. Tarrant County does not
currently charge DPS for the service.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, TL