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

SPONSOR Garcia, MJ

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/28/08

HB

SHORT TITLE

3

rd

Judicial District Staff

SB 452

ANALYST C. Sanchez

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$349.7

Recurring

General Fund

$42.7 Non-Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB 11

ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)

FY08

FY09

FY10 3 Year

Total

Cost

Recurring

or Non-

Rec

Fund

Affected

Total

Indeterminable

General

Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 452 appropriates $392,400 to the third judicial district court to fund seven new full-

time staff positions. These new positions are: a legal office specialist, a human resources

specialist, a procurement specialist and four clerks.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

Total recurring costs will be $349,700.00. The recurring costs are subject to increased costs

resulting from any increases in salaries and benefits for the seven FTEs.

Senate Bill 445 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to the 3

rd

Judicial District, four clerk positions are needed as a result of an increase in

case filings. The city and county have experienced growth in population, the court has added

two judges since 2004, and the court’s case processing is complicated by the district attorney’s

no-plea policy in criminal cases resulting in an unusually high rate of jury trials (106 criminal

jury trials in 2006). A legal office specialist will assist with the high rate of self-represented

litigants, especially in the domestic relations cases where up to one-half of the filings are by self-

represented litigants. A human resource specialist will assist the current single FTE devoted to

all personnel actions, including tracking and entering all data required for the PeopleSoft system.

A procurement specialist will assist with the added burdens resulting from new procedures

required by PeopleSoft and to ensure compliance with the Procurement Code and inventory

control. At least four of the requested positions are indicated by the 2004 Staff Study.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The district court is participating in performance-based budgeting. Staff changes should improve

the approved output performance measures of the court.

DUPLICATION

HB 2

The LFC recommendation adopted by HAFC, includes $80 thousand for an additional court

clerk II FTE.

RELATIONSHIP

SB 11

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation could reduce the court’s case processing time.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Status Quo.

CS/bb