LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              April 27, 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), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
  
**************************************************************************
*  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
  
The bill would allow a friend of the court to assess and collect a
monitoring fee of up to $5 per month in the first 12 months after the
date a support order or enforcement order is filed with the friend of the
court. Proceeds would be used to provide child support services within a
county.

The bill could result in revenues to counties. The amount of additional
revenue would depend on the number of counties that would impose the fee
and the collection rate. Since the Attorney General reports 39,499
support orders and enforcement orders during the period September 1,
1998 through March 31, 1999, the fee could be applied to approximately
67,713 cases per year. Additional revenue to counties could therefore be
as much as $4.1 million per year statewide.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, PE, TL