LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

May 15, 2009

TO:	Honorable Jeff Wentworth, Chair, Senate Committee on Jurisprudence
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB4529 by Chavez (Relating to court reporter service fees in certain counties.), As Engrossed

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would require the clerk of each court that has an official court reporter and that serves a county located on the Texas-Mexico border that contains a municipality with a population of 500,000 or more to collect a court reporter service fee of $30 as a court cost in each civil case filed with the clerk to maintain a court reporter who is available for assignment in the court. Under current statute, the fee is $15.

The bill would take effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house; otherwise, the bill would take effect September 1, 2009.

The affected fees are retained locally 100 percent.

Based on the population and geographic criteria within the bill, using the statutorily required most recent official U.S. decennial census, the bill would apply only to El Paso County.

Local Government Impact

Because the bill would not have statewide impact on units of local government of the same type or class, no comment from this office is required by the rules of the House/Senate as to its probable fiscal implication on units of local government.

Source Agencies:

212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts

LBB Staff:

JOB, MN, DB, CL, TB