LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 86TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 8, 2019

TO:
Honorable Stephanie Klick, Chair, House Committee on Elections
 
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director     Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director
Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB2504 by Springer (relating to requiring candidates to pay a filing fee or submit a petition in lieu of a filing fee to appear on the ballot for the general election for state and county officers.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted



Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB2504, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a positive impact of $230,000 through the biennium ending August 31, 2021.

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
2020 $230,000
2021 $0
2022 $230,000
2023 $0
2024 $230,000




Fiscal Year Probable Savings/(Cost) from
General Revenue Fund
1
2020 $230,000
2021 $0
2022 $230,000
2023 $0
2024 $230,000

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would authorize filing fees or the submission of a petition in order for candidates nominated by convention to appear on the general election ballot.

The bill would take effect on September 1, 2019.

Methodology

Under current law candidates nominated by convention are not required to pay a filing fee or submit a petition to be placed on a general election ballot. The bill would require those candidates to pay the same fees as candidates selected through primary elections (or submit a petition). The Secretary of State's office provided historical data for candidates on election ballots nominated by conventions, from which state fee revenue collections could be estimated. The fiscal impacts for the state would occur in even-numbered years in which general elections for state offices occur.

Local Government Impact

The fee provisions of the bill may have a positive fiscal impact on counties. However, the fiscal implications of the bill on local government cannot be determined at this time


Source Agencies:
304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 307 Secretary of State
LBB Staff:
WP, SLE, NV, JMO