LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                            February 15, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Ken Armbrister, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Criminal Justice
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB284  by Brown, J.E. "Buster" (Relating to the fee
               collected by a prosecutor for collecting and processing a
               dishonored or forged check or similar sight order.), As
               Introduced
  
**************************************************************************
*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
**************************************************************************
  
Local Government Impact
  
The bill would allow counties to raise the fee a prosecutor may collect
for processing a dishonored or forged check whose face amount is between
$10 and $100 from the current maximum of $10 to $15.

Three counties provided cost estimates for the development of this fiscal
note.

Counties could experience increased revenues if they chose to increase
fees as a result of the bill's enactment. The amount of increase would
depend on the number of cases of dishonored or forged checks in a county
and the county's collection rate. Harris County estimates an annual
revenue increase of approximately $14,000 to $15,000. Smith County
estimates an annual revenue increase of approximately $35,000. Tarrant
County estimates additional annual fee revenue of approximately
$187,000.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, MD, TL