HBA-JLV H.B. 2733 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2733 By: Thompson Judicial Affairs 4/19/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Upon conviction of a municipal ordinance, misdemeanor, or felony, an offender is ordered to pay state and local court costs, fees, and fines. In 1997, eleven of the court fees were consolidated into one fee to be reported and remitted each quarter to the state comptroller of public accounts (comptroller). The comptroller's report to the 77th Legislature recommends consolidating the remaining four fees into the existing consolidated fee structure. According to the report, fee consolidation, simplified collection, and reporting by municipal courts could lead to significant savings in time and money. House Bill 2733 consolidates the four remaining fees into the existing consolidated fee structure for cases prosecuted in municipal courts. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 2733 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to consolidate municipal court fees. The bill requires a defendant to pay a municipal court cost fee of $83 on conviction of a municipal ordinance punishable by a fine of more than $200, rather than $500, or on conviction of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of more than $500. The bill increases, from $17 to $40, a court fee on conviction of an offense punishable by fine only. The bill modifies the percentages that are collected for each account to reflect the consolidated fee structure (Art. 102.075). H.B. 2733 amends the Government Code to require the custodian of the county or municipal treasury to keep a record of the amount of money on deposit collected and to send 50 percent of the fees collected to the comptroller of public accounts quarterly, rather than monthly (Sec. 51.921). EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.