LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              April 25, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Rodney Ellis, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Jurisprudence
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB886  by Harris (Relating to fees assessed in a child
               support case.), 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 friend of the court to assess and collect a
monthly monitoring fee of up to $5 to be paid by the managing conservator
and possessory conservator in child support cases. The bill could result
in increased revenues to counties. The revenue increase would depend on
the number of counties that would impose the fee and the collection rate.
Since Texas counties manage approximately 750,000 private child support
cases annually, the maximum revenue increase could be $45 million per
year. Proceeds would be used to provide friend of the court services.

Denton County estimates that the bill would result in only $5,000 in
additional annual revenue. Travis County estimates that the bill would
result in approximately $100,000 additional revenue. Based on these
estimates, it is anticipated that the actual increase in revenues to
counties would be substantially less than $45 million statewide.
  
  
Source Agencies:   304   Comptroller of Public Accounts, 212   Office of
                   Court Administration, 302   Office Of The Attorney
                   General
LBB Staff:         JK, PE, TL