SRC-TBR S.B. 1377 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1377
77R7783 JJT-DBy: Armbrister
Finance
4/17/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, there is no state oversight of court costs that are collected by
cities and counties.  As proposed, S.B. 1377 requires the comptroller to
conduct a biennial review and to exercise continuing oversight for each
fund to which court costs are being deposited to determine if the funds are
being used as intended and whether the court costs are appropriate. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a
state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 403B, Government Code, by adding Section
403.0145, as follows: 

Sec. 403.0145.  REVIEW AND OVERSIGHT OF FUNDS AND ACCOUNTS RECEIVING COURT
COSTS. (a)  Requires that each fiscal biennium the comptroller  review each
fund and account into which money collected as a court cost is directed by
law to be deposited to determine whether  the money is being used for the
purpose for which it is collected and whether the amount of the court cost
imposed is appropriate, considering the purpose for which the court cost is
collected. 

(b)  Requires the comptroller, not later than December 1 of each
even-numbered year, to make the findings from the review for the previous
fiscal biennium available to the public and to send a report of the
comptroller's findings to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the
speaker of the house of representatives, the chief justice of the supreme
court, and the presiding judge of the court of criminal appeals.
Authorizes the findings to include recommendations for legislation or
changes to policies. 

SECTION 2. (a)  Effective date: September 1, 2001.

(b)  Provides that the first report required under Section 403.0145,
Government Code, as added by this Act, is due December 1, 2002.