Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2311 by Kacal (Relating to the portion retained by a municipality or county of certain fines imposed for a criminal offense.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
The fiscal implications of this bill cannot be determined at this time because revenue from traffic fines collected cannot be differentiated by population for counties or municipalities.
The bill would amend the Transportation Code as it relates to the disposition of certain fines. The bill would allow municipalities or counties with a population under 2,000 to exclude fees collected from state traffic fines from fines collected for the purposes of determining the amount of fees the municipality or county may retain.
The bill would also modify the allocation of fines for municipalities and counties with a population under 2,000 from 67 percent credited to General Revenue Fund 0001 and 33 percent credited to GR Account 5111 - Designated Trauma Facility and EMS to 53.2 percent and 46.8 percent, respectively.
According to the Comptroller of Public Accounts, it is not currently possible to determine revenue collected based upon the population of a county or municipality. The impact to state revenue from this provision of the bill cannot be determined. The provision of the bill that reallocates revenue could result in a decrease in revenue deposited to General Revenue Fund 0001 and an increase in revenue deposited to GR Account 5111 - Designated Trauma Facility and EMS but the amount that would be shifted cannot be determined at this time.
Local Government Impact
The fiscal implications of the bill for units of local government cannot be determined at this time; however, the bill is anticipated to have a positive fiscal impact on counties or municipalities under 2,000 population.