| TO: | Honorable Will Hartnett, Chair, House Committee on Judicial Affairs |
| FROM: | John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HJR20 by Howard (Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring certain complaints and reports received by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to be sworn.), As Introduced |
The cost to the state for publication of the resolution is $85,275.
The resolution would amend the Texas Constitution, Article V, Section 1-a(7) to require that all complaints or reports, formal or informal, of judicial misconduct submitted to the Commission on Judicial Conduct from any source be sworn to by that source. The amendment would be submitted to voters at an election to be held on November 4, 2003. If adopted by the voters, the amendment would take effect on January 1, 2004, and would apply to complaints or reports received by the Commission on or after that date.
The State Commission on Judicial Conduct receives approximately 1,000 complaints annually, and a number of these are not sworn complaints. This estimate anticipates additional costs to the state to notify complainants of the additional requirement to file only sworn complaints, which may require additional correspondence, postage, and agency staff time.
| Source Agencies: | 242 State Commission On Judicial Conduct
|
| LBB Staff: | JK, GO, TB, VDS
|