LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
March 8, 2013

TO:
Honorable Tryon D. Lewis, Chair, House Committee On Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB696 by Kleinschmidt (Relating to the duties of and the application of the professional prosecutors law to the county attorneys in Gonzales and Lavaca Counties and to the duties of the district attorney for the 25th Judicial District.), As Introduced



Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB696, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($368,668) through the biennium ending August 31, 2015.

The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.



Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2014 ($184,334)
2015 ($184,334)
2016 ($184,334)
2017 ($184,334)
2018 ($184,334)




Fiscal Year Probable Savings/(Cost) from
General Revenue Fund
1
Probable Savings/(Cost) from
Judicial Fund
573
2014 ($184,334) ($124,262)
2015 ($184,334) ($124,262)
2016 ($184,334) ($124,262)
2017 ($184,334) ($124,262)
2018 ($184,334) ($124,262)

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would amend the Government Code relating to the duties and salaries of the county attorneys of Gonzales and Lavaca Counties and the counties composing the 25th Judicial District. The Gonzales and Lavaca County Attorneys would become subject to the Professional Prosecutors Act and prohibited from the private practice of law. The bill would take effect September 1, 2013.

Methodology

In this new capacity, the Gonzales and Lavaca County Attorneys would each be entitled to salary of $125,000 from the state plus benefits ($22,631) from General Revenue and the Judicial Fund No. 573. However, the Gonzales and Lavaca County Attorneys would each also forgo the annual $20,833 state salary supplement the county attorney receives, which is also paid from these two funding sources. Therefore, the net cost to the state due to the salary increase for both counties would be $253,596. Finally, district and county attorneys in the Professional Prosecutors Act are entitled to $27,500 per year from the state to defray office expenses, which are paid from General Revenue.

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:
304 Comptroller of Public Accounts
LBB Staff:
UP, CL, AM, KKR, TP, TB, ZS