TO: | Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice |
FROM: | John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
IN RE: | SB727 by Staples (Relating to the payment of fees awarded to certain attorneys appointed by a court to represent indigent inmates in capital cases.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
Fiscal Year | Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds |
---|---|
2004 | ($50,000) |
2005 | ($50,000) |
2006 | ($50,000) |
2007 | ($50,000) |
2008 | ($50,000) |
Fiscal Year | Probable Savings/(Cost) from GENERAL REVENUE FUND 1 |
---|---|
2004 | ($50,000) |
2005 | ($50,000) |
2006 | ($50,000) |
2007 | ($50,000) |
2008 | ($50,000) |
The bill would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure relating to the payment of fees awarded certain attorneys appointed by a court to represent indigent inmates in capital cases. The bill would raise the cap on compensation for counsel in death penalty cases from $25,000 to $50,000.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2003.
The bill would require the Comptroller in the Comptroller's miscellaneous claims bill to compensate counsel up to $50,000 in death penalty cases when the defendant is an inmate. According to the Special Prosecution Unit, one such case is pending in fiscal year 2003 and the Unit handled two such cases in fiscal year 2002. The current compensation for such cases is capped at $25,000. Accordingly, this estimate assumes that two cases would qualify for the additional compensation in fiscal year 2004 and each fiscal year thereafter for a total cost of $50,000 per year. (2 cases at $25,000 extra compensation per case = $50,000).
Source Agencies: | 212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts
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LBB Staff: | JK, WK, VDS, TB
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