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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Herrera		DATE TYPED:	03/12/03		HB	334/aHJC
SHORT TITLE:		Use of Municipal Courts Corrections Fee				SB
					ANALYST:		Martinez/Chavez

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY03	FY04	FY03	FY04
	Indeterminate			Recurring	Municipal General Fund and Special Interest Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Administrative Office of the District Attorneys

Attorney Generals Office

The Department of Finance and Administration

Administrative Office of the Courts

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HJC Amendment

The House Judiciary Amendment increases the corrections fee the municipal judge shall collect from $10.00 to $20.00.

Synopsis of Original Bill

House Bill 334 extends the use of the current corrections fee collected by municipal courts to include providing inpatient treatment or other substance abuse programs as an alternative to jail sentencing. The intent of this legislation is to provide a means to defray prisoner transportation costs and for electronic monitoring systems. This bill allows municipalities to collect interest on fees deposited in a special fund as part of the municipality’s general fund.

Significant Issues

According to the AOC, this legislation provides municipalities with resources to meet court-ordered sentencing. It also provides resources for judges to impose alternatives to incarceration, including electronic monitoring systems, which ultimately reduces the burden on corrections facilities.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The fiscal impact relating these particular programs is difficult to ascertain without specific figures from each municipal court.

The Administrative Office of the Courts reports that accounting procedures are already in place in municipalities and municipal courts to support changes to uses in fees collected.

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