LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 78TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
March 19, 2003

TO:
Honorable Harold V. Dutton, Jr., Chair, House Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
 
FROM:
John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB1885 by Goolsby (Relating to certain filing fees in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.), As Introduced

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would add to the Family Code a motion for modification and a motion for contempt as filings for which a court may collect a filing fee of $15 in suits affecting the parent-child relationship. The bill would take effect September 1, 2003 and would apply to suits affecting the parent-child relationship filed on or after that date.


Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. According to data reported in the Office of Court Administration's fiscal year 2002 annual report, there were approximately 346,000 new family law and divorce cases filed in district courts statewide in fiscal year 2002 and 24,351 new such cases filed in county courts, for a total of 370,351 new cases filed. If 10 percent (37,035) of those had involved parent-child relationship suits with a motion for modification or a motion for contempt, courts cumulatively statewide would have collected $555,525. The amount would vary by court depending on the number of applicable suits filed.



Source Agencies:
212 Office Of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council
LBB Staff:
JK, GO, JB, DLBa