LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session May 2, 1999 TO: Honorable Juan Hinojosa, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE: SB577 by Armbrister (Relating to the duties of and procedures affecting a court clerk with respect to certain criminal matters.), As Engrossed ************************************************************************** * No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. * * * * The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal * * basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of * * the bill. * ************************************************************************** Local Government Impact Fiscal Analysis The bill would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Transportation Code to clarify the duties and procedures affecting a court clerk with respect to certain criminal matters. The bill would provide guidance for the electronic filing of applications for witnesses and subpoenas. A record granting a person deferred adjudication would be confidential only by court order. In cases of community supervision, a person's instructor would be responsible for notifying the Department of Public Safety and the community supervision and corrections department upon successful completion of a program. The bill would repeal Article 102.002 (a), (b), and (c) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which entitles witnesses to a daily fee of $1.50 and $0.06 per mile traveled to and from trial. If a defendant could not pay these fees, the county would be obliged to pay them. The bill also would repeal Article 102.005 (e) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which requires a fee of $10 be paid to the clerk of a court that issued a certified copy of a court order restricting a person's license in certain situations. Fiscal Impact Although the bill would result in both a savings and loss in revenues as a result of the parts of the Code of Criminal Procedure that would be repealed, based on responses by the State Comptroller and Denton County, it is estimated that the net impact to units of local government would not be significant. Source Agencies: 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 405 Department of Public Safety LBB Staff: JK, MD