LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 80TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 25, 2007

TO:	Honorable Jeff Wentworth, Chair, Senate Committee on Jurisprudence
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB821 by Wentworth (Relating to the use of certain excess contributions to the judicial fund that are remitted to certain counties.), As Introduced

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Government Code to authorize use of a county's judicial fund for the payment of compensation of a statutory probate court associate judge. Under current statute, money in the judicial fund may be used only for court-related purposes for the support of the statutory probate courts in the county.

The bill would authorize the county to pay all or part of the compensation of the associate judge from the excess contributions remitted to the county and deposited into the judicial fund, on the recommendation of the statutory probate court judges in the county and subject to approval by the county commissioners court.

The bill would take effect immediately if it were to receive the required two-thirds vote in each house; otherwise, it would take effect September 1, 2007. 

Local Government Impact

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

Source Agencies:

304 Comptroller of Public Accounts

LBB Staff:

JOB, MN, DB