LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              March 3, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Frank Madla, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Intergovernmental Relations
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB 327  by Ellis, Rodney (Relating to funding the housing
               trust fund.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  SB327, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted:  positive impact      *
*  of $0 through the biennium ending August 31, 2001.                    *
*                                                                        *
*  The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal      *
*  basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of    *
*  the bill.                                                             *
**************************************************************************
  
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2000                                   $0  *
          *       2001                                    0  *
          *       2002                                    0  *
          *       2003                                    0  *
          *       2004                                    0  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
***********************************************************************
*Fiscal    Probable    Probable    Probable    Probable   Change in    *
* Year     Savings/    Revenue     Savings/    Revenue    Number of    *
*        (Cost) from Gain/(Loss) (Cost) from Gain/(Loss)    State      *
*          Housing       from     All Local    from All   Employees    *
*         Trust Fund   Housing     Units of  Local Units from FY 1999  *
*         - Outside   Trust Fund  Government      of                   *
*          Treasury   - Outside               Government               *
*                      Treasury                                        *
*  2000    $(910,000)    $910,000          $0    $101,000         0.0  *
*  2001   (1,235,000)   1,235,000           0     137,000         0.0  *
*  2002   (1,258,000)   1,258,000           0     140,000         0.0  *
*  2003   (1,281,000)   1,281,000           0     142,000         0.0  *
*  2004   (1,304,000)   1,304,000           0     145,000         0.0  *
***********************************************************************
  
Technology Impact
  
No significant administrative costs, including technology-related
expenses.
  
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The legislation would impose a $1 affordable housing fee on certain
documents filed for recording in the personal and real property records
of each county.  The county would be allowed to retain 10 percent of fees
collected.  The remaining 90 percent of fees would be received by the
Comptroller and deposited to the Housing Trust Fund, a fund outside the
State Treasury.  Like other revenues deposited to the Housing Trust Fund,
this new fee would be used to provide loans, grants or other comparable
forms of assistance to purchase, finance, rehabilitate or develop decent,
safe housing.
  
  
Methodology
  
The proposed fee was applied to an estimated number of affected
recordings in the state.  The state's share would be 90 percent and
counties would receive the remaining 10 percent.  Personal and real
estate property filings in 1997 and 1998 for a few counties were used as
a starting point, and adjusted for population increases.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
The counties are authorized to keep 10 cents of each dollar collected to
reimburse the county for the administrative cost of collecting the fee.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, TL, ZS