LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 78TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

February 12, 2003

TO:	Honorable Glenn Lewis, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
FROM:	John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB550 by Wohlgemuth (Relating to the amount the county clerk may charge as a returned check fee.), As Introduced

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend Section 118.011, Local Government Code, to allow a county clerk to set and collect a fee of up to $30 for a returned check.

Local Government Impact

Under current statute, the county clerk may set and collect a fee of up to $25 for a returned check. County clerks from various size counties indicated that while the fiscal impact would be a positive one, the impact would be minimal. For example, Rockwall County (population 43,080) only encounters three to five returned checks per year and Denton County (population 432,976) no longer accepts checks from anyone other than attorneys and businesses, and those are rarely returned. Although the largest county in the state, Harris County (population 3.4 million), receives about 200 returned checks annually, the increased revenue would still be considered insignificant.

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:
LBB Staff:	JK, JB, DLBa