LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 15, 2013

TO:	Honorable Royce West, Chair, Senate Committee on Jurisprudence
FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB896 by Estes (Relating to the administration and operation of the appellate judicial system for the Second Court of Appeals District.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Government Code relating to the administration and operation of the appellate judicial system for the Second Court of Appeals District. The bill would amend the Government Code to require all counties within the Second Court of Appeals District to collect and forward filing fees to a local fund for the assistance of the court. Current statute gives counties discretion whether or not the county will collect and forward the filing fee for the assistance of the Second Court of Appeals District.

The bill would take effect September 1, 2013.

Local Government Impact

According to the Office of Court Administration (OCA), Tarrant County is the only one of twelve counties within the Second Court of Appeals District that currently collects and forwards the filing fee to the Second Court of Appeals. OCA estimates that an additional 16,784 civil trial, non-exempt cases from the other eleven counties within the district could increase contributions to the Second Court of Appeals' local fund by an estimated $84,000 per year. According to the agency, the eleven counties within the Second Court of Appeals District would incur slight costs to establish a separate appellate judicial system fund, but these costs are not expected to be significant.

Source Agencies:

212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 222 Second Court of Appeals District, Fort Worth, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts

LBB Staff:

UP, CL, ZS, JP, KKR