LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              March 2, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Senfronia Thompson, Chair, House Committee on
               Judicial Affairs
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB546  by Noriega (Relating to judicial training in
               ethnic and racial sensitivity.), As Introduced
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  HB546, As Introduced:  positive impact of $0 through the biennium     *
*  ending August 31, 2003.                                               *
*                                                                        *
*  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 Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2002                                   $0  *
          *       2003                                    0  *
          *       2004                                    0  *
          *       2005                                    0  *
          *       2006                                    0  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
         *****************************************************
         * Fiscal Year      Probable Savings/(Cost) from      *
         *                  Judicial and Court Personnel      *
         *                          Training Fund             *
         *                              0540                  *
         *      2002                               $(184,800) *
         *      2003                                (184,800) *
         *      2004                                 (92,400) *
         *      2005                                 (92,400) *
         *      2006                                 (92,400) *
         *****************************************************
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The bill would require a district judge, judge of a statutory county
court or statutory probate court, associate judge appointed under Chapter
54 of the Government Code or Chapter 201 of the Family code, masters,
referees, and magistrates to complete four hours of training on racial
and ethnic sensitivity in their first term of office or first four years
of service and three hours of such training for each term or four years
of service thereafter.

The bill would also require judges subject to the training requirement
who are in office on August 31, 2001 to take the training before the end
of their term.
  
  
Methodology
  
The estimate for a partial day program is $350 per participant. Course
requirements are four hours training for the first term and three hours
training for each additional term of four years.  It is assumed that the
bill would require approximately 528  individuals to receive training in
each year of the first two years after the effective date.  Thereafter,
it is assumed that approximately 264 individuals would receive training
in each subsequent year.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   212   Office of Court Administration, 242   State
                   Commission on Judicial Conduct, 211   Court of
                   Criminal Appeals
LBB Staff:         JK, TB, JN