LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              March 16, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Senfronia Thompson, Chair, House Committee on
               Judicial Affairs
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB1935  by Deshotel (Relating to the fees collected for
               certain services by clerks of county courts.), As
               Introduced
  
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*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
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Local Government Impact
  
The bill would add an additional $10 fee for filing a "document not
otherwise listed" under probate court actions in the fee schedule for
county clerks.  It would also double the fee for "original documents and
one copy" from $4 to $8 under the same section.

Under current law, there is no fee for "filing a document not listed"
under the fee schedule for probate actions.  The current fee for filing
an "original document and one copy" is $4.

The Comptroller of Public Accounts provided the following information
gathered from several counties to obtain local fiscal impact:

The judicial section in the county clerk's office in Cameron County
reported an additional $5,000 to $7,000 would be generated on the $10 fee
for "filing documents not listed."  An additional $16,849 would be
generated if the fee for "original documents and one copy" were to be
raised from $4 to $8.

The Bexar County clerk's office reported that the additional $10 fee and
the increase from $4 to $8 in probate actions would increase revenues in
Bexar County by an estimated $5,000 per year.

The county clerk in Lamb County reported there would be no impact if a
$10 additional fee is assessed and minimal impact if the fee for an
original document and one copy is increased from $4 to $8.

The county clerk in Tom Green County reported additional collections of
approximately $2,300 for both fees.

There would be a positive fiscal impact for counties.  The impact would
vary by county population.
  
  
Source Agencies:   304   Comptroller of Public Accounts
LBB Staff:         JK, TB, DB