Honorable Larry Phillips, Chair, House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1056 by Hinojosa (Relating to the eligibility for indigent status for purposes of the driver responsibility program.), As Engrossed
Because the number of individuals who might be found indigent under the provisions of the bill and therefore eligible for waiver from Driver Responsibility Program surcharges is unknown, the fiscal impact from waiver of surcharges cannot be determined at this time.
Under current law, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is required to waive surcharges for certain convictions and license suspensions assessed under the Driver Responsibility Program if a person is indigent. The bill would add an option for determining indigency for the Driver Responsibility Program. If the court hearing the offense that was the basis of the surcharge determined the person to be indigent for purposes of appointing counsel, and did not later determine the person could pay for that counsel, then that person would be considered indigent for the purposes of the Driver Responsibility Program as well.
The Office of Court Administration and DPS do not anticipate any significant fiscal impact to the state court system or to DPS to implement the new option for determining indigency. The number of individuals who might be found indigent under the provisions of the bill and thus be eligible for waiver from surcharges is unknown. Therefore the fiscal impact from waiver of surcharges due to the bill cannot be determined at this time.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 405 Department of Public Safety