Honorable Harold V. Dutton, Jr., Chair, House Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3519 by White (Relating to the ability of a child, parent, or other person responsible for a child's support to pay juvenile probation fees or court costs and fees imposed by a juvenile court.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Family Code to authorize the waiver and reduction of fees, costs, and other payments imposed in juvenile cases. The bill would require probation officers and courts to conduct a financial assessment before imposing any of the fees, costs, or payments on a juvenile, would set forth the factors to be used in such an assessment, and would require the probation officer or court to reduce or waive the fee, cost, or payment if the financial assessment reveals that the fee or payment would result in undue hardship to the juvenile, juvenile's parents, or another responsible person. According to the Office of Court Administration, Comptroller of Public Accounts, and Juvenile Justice Department duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources and revenue decreases to the state resulting from the reduction or waiving of fees, costs, or payments are not anticipated to be significant.
Local Government Impact
According to the Office of Court Administration, the waiving of judicial costs and fees would only occur in cases where defendants are not currently paying the costs or fees; therefore, the agency does not anticipate a significant decrease in court cost or fee collections to local governments with varying impacts by county and municipality based upon volume of cases.
According to El Paso County Juvenile Justice Center, the bill could cost $317,940.55 annually. This figure is based on the average amount of fees collected over the past three years multiplied by a rate of 81.55% deemed indigent. Note that this amount is based on the amount collected not the amount ordered by the courts.
According to Travis County Juvenile Probation Department, the bill would have no fiscal impact.
According to Tarrant County Juvenile Services, the bill would have no fiscal impact.
According to Rockwall County Juvenile Services, the bill would have no fiscal impact.
Source Agencies:
644 Juvenile Justice Department, 212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts