LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              April 26, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Bill Ratliff, Chair, Senate Committee on Finance
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB647 by Wentworth (relating to salaries and fees for
               services of certain prosecutors), Committee Report 1st
               House, Substituted
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Fundsfor     *
*  SB647, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted:  negative impact      *
*  of $(9,000,450) 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 Net Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2000                         $(4,500,225)  *
          *       2001                          (4,500,225)  *
          *       2002                          (4,500,225)  *
          *       2003                          (4,500,225)  *
          *       2004                          (4,500,225)  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
         *****************************************************
         * Fiscal Year      Probable Savings/(Cost) from      *
         *                      General Revenue Fund          *
         *                              0001                  *
         *      2000                             $(4,500,225) *
         *      2001                              (4,500,225) *
         *      2002                              (4,500,225) *
         *      2003                              (4,500,225) *
         *      2004                              (4,500,225) *
         *****************************************************
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The bill would provide state salary supplements to county attorneys who
practice in a county served by district attorneys effective September 1,
1999.
  
  
Methodology
  
State salary supplements to county attorneys would be based on one-half
of district judges' "benchmark salary" (currently $101,700), or $50,850.
In cases where a district attorney serves one county, the annual
supplement would be $50,850.  If a district attorney serves two counties
or three (or more) counties, the supplement would be split between county
attorneys, $25,425 and $16,950, respectively.  In counties served by
more than one state prosecutor, the supplement, as determined by a
formula set forth in the bill, would be $33,900.

Thirty county attorneys would be eligible for the $50,850 supplement, 39
for the $25,425 supplement, 105 for the $16,950 supplement, and six would
be eligible for the $33,900 supplement.

Information from the Comptroller of Public Accounts was used to determine
the salary of district court judges.  Information from the Texas
District and County Attorneys Association was used to determine the
number of district attorney jurisdictions and county attorneys affected
by this bill.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   304   Comptroller of Public Accounts
LBB Staff:         JK, BB, DG