HBA-AMW S.B. 1377 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1377 By: Armbrister Judicial Affairs 5/10/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the state does not review the use of money collected as court costs by cities and counties. Senate Bill 1377 requires the state auditor to conduct a biennial review and to exercise continuing oversight for each fund to which court costs are being deposited to determine whether the funds are being used as intended and whether the court costs are appropriate. 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 Senate Bill 1377 amends the Government Code to require the state auditor, each fiscal biennium, to review each fund and account into which money collected as a court cost is directed by law to be deposited to determine whether the money is being used for the purpose for which it is collected and whether the amount of the court cost imposed is appropriate, considering the purpose for which the court cost is collected. The bill requires the state auditor, not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, to make the findings from the review for the previous fiscal biennium available to the public and to send a report of the state auditor's findings to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the chief justice of the supreme court, and the presiding judge of the court of criminal appeals. The bill authorizes the findings to include recommendations for legislation or changes to policies and specifies that the first report from the state auditor is due December 1, 2002. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.