HBA-TBM S.J.R. 49 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.J.R. 49 By: Armbrister Judicial Affairs 5/10/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the structure of state and local court costs, fees, and fines is a complex one for cities and counties in Texas. The administration of those fees has become a time-consuming and burdensome task, particularly for those governmental entities with limited resources and manual systems. Fee consolidation and simplified collection and reporting by courts could lead to significant savings in time and money. Senate Join Resolution 49 requires the submission to the voters of a constitutional amendment promoting uniformity in the collection, deposit, reporting, and remitting of civil and criminal fees. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this resolution does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS Senate Joint Resolution 49 amends the Texas Constitution relating to a fee in a criminal or civil matter, all or a portion of which is required to be collected by local officers, clerks, or other local personnel and remitted to the comptroller of public accounts for deposit. The resolution provides that a fee imposed by the legislature after the enactment of a program to consolidate and standardize the collection, deposit, reporting, and remitting of fees is valid only if the requirements relating to its collection, deposit, reporting, and remitting conform to the program. FOR ELECTION This proposed constitutional amendment shall be submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 6, 2001.