LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                                May 3, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Frank Madla, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Intergovernmental Relations
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB1107  by Hartnett (Relating to the use of money in the
               county law library fund.), As Engrossed
  
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*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
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Local Government Impact
  
The bill would allow a county with 30 or more district courts to use the
county law library fund to purchase or lease library materials or acquire
library equipment, computers, software, and subscriptions to electronic
research networks for use by the judges.  Expenditures from the fund
could not exceed $175,000 per year.  Any unexpended and unobligated
balance to the fund at the end of the county's fiscal year would remain
in the fund for law library use in subsequent fiscal years. The Act would
take effect September 1, 2001.

Currently, only Dallas and Harris counties have 30 or more district
courts, Dallas has 32 and Harris has 59. Use of law library funds to
make purchases of items identified in the bill would provide a savings
of up to $175,000 per year to any other county fund currently used to
make such purchases.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, DB, TB