Bill: HB 1062, 84(R) - 2015

Committee

House County Affairs

Vote Recommendation

Vote Recommendation Economic Freedom Property Rights Personal Responsibility Limited Government Individual Liberty
Vote Yes; Amend Neutral Neutral Neutral Positive Neutral

Author(s)

Eddie Lucio III

Bill Caption

Relating to authorizing a fee for county records technology and infrastructure costs in certain counties.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State.

Because the bill would not have statewide impact on units of local government of the same type or class, no comment from this office is required by the rules of the House/Senate as to its probable fiscal implication on units of local government.

Bill Analysis

HB 1062 would authorize the commissioners court of a county that borders the United Mexican States and the Gulf of Mexico to adopt a $2 records technology and infrastructure fee. The bill requires the fee to be paid at the time a person pays an applicable records management and preservation fee, county clerk's records archive fee, or probate matters fee. The bill requires the records technology and infrastructure fee to be deposited in a separate records technology and infrastructure account in the county's general fund. The fund would be used for the maintenance of county records and the operation of the county records system and is subject to approval by the commissioners court in a public meeting during the budget process.

Vote Recommendation Notes

05/19/2015 Update:

We continue to recommend vote yes; amend on HB 1062 in the second chamber. The second chamber sponsor is Senator Lucio.

This bill affirms the principle of limited government.  Since counties are expected to comply with federal regulations that require them to maintain an electronic filing system, this bill would allow them to fund that endeavor through a 'user fee,' meaning the burden is on the individuals who use the system rather than the tax base at large.

While we support HB 1062 in principle, we recommend that legislators consider adding an amendment requiring the fee to be reduced, eliminated, or subject to review after a specified time period to prevent the continued collection of the fee after it is no longer necessary.

Source URL (retrieved on 04/17/2024 07:04 PM): http://reports.texasaction.com/bill/84r/hb1062?print_view=true