LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
April 24, 2001
TO: Honorable Rodney Ellis, Chair, Senate Committee on Finance
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: SB1377 by Armbrister (Relating to the authority of the
state auditor to review the use of money collected as
court costs.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* SB1377, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: negative impact *
* of $(405,300) 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. *
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General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2002 $(405,300) *
* 2003 0 *
* 2004 (189,140) *
* 2005 0 *
* 2006 (189,140) *
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All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable Savings/(Cost) from Change in Number of State *
* Year General Revenue Fund Employees from FY 2001 *
* 0001 *
* 2002 $(405,300) 4.5 *
* 2003 0 0.0 *
* 2004 (189,140) 2.0 *
* 2005 0 0.0 *
* 2006 (189,140) 2.0 *
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Fiscal Analysis
The bill would amend the Government Code to require the State Auditor to
review and report on those funds and accounts receiving court costs
revenue. The purpose of the review would be to determine if the amount
of a court cost was appropriate, given the reason for which it is
collected; and to verify the proper use of the revenue.
No later than December 1 of every even-numbered year, the State Auditor
would submit a report detailing the 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. The State Auditor could include recommendations for
legislation in the report.
This bill would take effect September 1, 2001. The first report would be
due December 1, 2002.
Methodology
The State Auditor's Office indicates that a review of the Compensation to
Victims of Crime Fund, the largest fund in the consolidated court costs
provisions of the bill, would take an estimated 5000 hours in fiscal
year 2002 at a billing rate of $54.04 per hour for a total of $270,200
and would require an additional three FTEs. In subsequent biennia this
cost would drop to 1000 hours for a total of $54,050 and would require
only 0.5 FTEs. A review of all other funds in the consolidated court
cost provisions would take an estimated 2500 hours per biennium at a
billing rate of $54.04 per hour for a total of $135,100 per biennium.
Review of all other funds would require an additional 1.5 FTEs.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
Source Agencies: 308 State Auditor's Office
LBB Staff: JK, SD, TB