Primer Financing the Judiciary in Texas 2016
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3140_Judiciary Primer_2016_cover.ai 1 8/29/2016 7:34:30 AM LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Financing the Judiciary in Texas Legislative Primer SUBMITTED TO THE 85TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF SEPTEMBER 2016 Financing the Judiciary in Texas Legislative Primer SUBMITTED TO THE 85TH LEGISLATURE FIFTH EDITION LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF SEPTEMBER 2016 CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................................................................................................1 State Funding for Appellate Court Operations ...........................................................................13 State Funding for Trial Courts ....................................................................................................21 State Funding for Prosecutor Salaries And Payments ................................................................29 State Funding for Other Judiciary Programs ..............................................................................35 Court-Generated State Revenue Sources ....................................................................................47 Appendix A: District Court Performance Measures, Clearance Rates, and Backlog Index from September 1, 2014, to August 31, 2015 ....................................................................................59 Appendix B: Frequently Asked Questions .................................................................................67 Appendix C: Glossary ...............................................................................................................71 Appendix D: Court Costs and Fees ............................................................................................73 Appendix E: Court Costs and Fee Case Examples .....................................................................85 Appendix F: Judicial Salaries ....................................................................................................91 LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF – SEPTEMBER 2016 LEGISLATIVE PRIMER REPORT – ID: 3140 i ii LEGISLATIVE PRIMER REPORT – ID: 3140 LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF – SEPTEMBER 2016 INTRODUCTION Th is primer describes the Texas court system and judicial 5073, the Judicial and Court Personnel Training Fund No. branch agencies and reviews the funding and revenue sources 540, the Sexual Assault Program Account No. 5010, and the for each area of the Judiciary. References to appropriated Statewide Electronic Filing System Fund No. 5157, a funds refl ect the amounts in the Eighty-fourth Legislature, majority of which is supported through revenue from civil General Appropriations Act (GAA), 2016–17 Biennium. All fi ling fees. Federal Funds compose the smallest funding appropriations, whether for district or appellate courts, portion at 0.4 percent, totaling $3.4 million. prosecutors, judicial retirement benefi ts, juror pay, or judicial Amounts in Figure 1 do not include $20.2 million in agencies, are detailed in this report. Th is report also reviews Interagency Contracts, that include: (1) Federal Funds from court costs and fees the Judiciary is authorized to impose and the Offi ce of the Attorney General for child support court how much revenue is generated from collection of those costs contracts, including administration ($10.1 million); and fees. (2) grants from the General Revenue–Dedicated Th e Eighty-fourth Legislature, 2015, appropriated $807.8 Compensation to Victims of Crime Account for basic civil million in All Funds to the Judiciary for the 2016–17 legal services for indigent victims of crime ($5.0 million); biennium, which represents less than 0.4 percent of all state and (3) grants from the Criminal Justice Division of the appropriations. As Figure 1 shows, General Revenue Funds Governor’s Offi ce to the Special Prosecution Unit, are the primary source of funding, also referred to as methods headquartered in Huntsville, for prosecution of crimes of fi nance, for the Judiciary, accounting for $481.6 million, committed in facilities of the Texas Department of Criminal or 59.6 percent. Other Funds compose the next largest Justice ($3.0 million). portion of judiciary funding at $180.3 million, or 22.3 A portion of the Judiciary is fi nanced through civil fi ling fees, percent. Th is method of fi nance includes Judicial Fund No. court costs, and other fees that are deposited to the credit of 573 and the Assistant Prosecutor Supplement Fund No. 303. General Revenue–Dedicated Funds accounts and Other General Revenue–Dedicated Funds constitute the third- Funds accounts. Th e entire state portion of these revenue largest portion and total $142.3 million, or 17.6 percent of sources is not appropriated to the courts. For example, the All Funds. Th is amount includes Fair Defense Account No. FIGURE 1 JUDICIARY APPROPRIATIONS BY METHOD OF FINANCE, 2016–17 BIENNIUM IN MILLIONS TOTAL = $807.8 MILLION General Revenue– Dedicated Funds Federal Funds $142.3 $3.4 Appropriated Receipts (17.6%) (0.4%) $0.6 (0.1%) Assistant Prosecutor Fund No. 303 Other Funds $8.8 $180.3 Judicial Fund (1.1%) (22.3%) No. 573 General Revenue Funds $171.0 $481.6 (21.2%) (59.6%) N: (1) General Revenue–Dedicated Funds include the Fair Defense Account ($66.3 million), the Statewide Electronic Filing System Account ($45.5 million), the Judicial and Court Personnel Training Account ($19.6 million), and the Sexual Assault Program Account No. 5010 ($10 million). (2) Amounts exclude Interagency Contracts totaling $20.2 million. S: Legislative Budget Board. LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF – SEPTEMBER 2016 FINANCING THE JUDICIARY IN TEXAS – ID: 3140 1 INTRODUCTION Department of Public Safety and trauma facilities also are appropriation of available balances in the Judicial and Court appropriated a portion of court revenue. See the Court- Personnel Training Fund No. 540 and enacted legislation generated State Revenue Sources chapter. increasing fi ling fees revenue allocated to the Statewide Electronic Filing System Fund No. 5157. Figure 2 shows the revenue sources for each of the General Revenue–Dedicated Funds used by courts and judicial Figure 3 shows the revenue sources for each of the Other branch agencies as refl ected in the Comptroller of Public Funds used by courts and judicial branch agencies as shown Account’s Revenue Estimate for the 2016–17 biennium. in the Comptroller of Public Accounts’ Revenue Estimate for Civil fi ling fees and court costs contribute the largest portion the 2016–17 biennium. Court costs contribute the largest of revenue into these accounts, accounting for 76.4 percent portion of revenue into these accounts, accounting for 71.3 of total revenue. Appropriations of General Revenue– percent of total revenue. Appropriations of the Judicial Fund Dedicated Funds for the 2016–17 biennium exceed exceed estimated revenues by $1.6 million for the 2016–17 estimated revenues by $0.4 million; this amount is due to the biennium. However, if the fund’s revenues are not suffi cient FIGURE 2 JUDICIARY GENERAL REVENUE–DEDICATED ACCOUNTS AND REVENUE SOURCES, 2016–17 BIENNIUM IN MILLIONS TOTAL = $141.9 MILLION GENERAL REVENUE–DEDICATED ACCOUNT ESTIMATED REVENUES GENERAL REVENUE–DEDICATED ACCOUNT REVENUE SOURCES Judicial Fees Statewide Electronic Court Costs $45.9 $62.6 Filing System Fund Fair Defense Account 32.3% No. 5157 No. 5073 44.1% Sexual Assault $46.8 $67.4 Program Account 33.0% 47.5% Professional Fees No. 5010 $10.0 $10.0 7.0% 7.0% State Bar Judicial and Court Membership Fees Personnel Training Bail Bond Surety Fee $4.4 Fund No. 540 Juror Pay Collections 3.1% $4.0 $15.0 $17.7 2.8% 12.5% 10.6% REVENUE SOURCES BY GENERAL REVENUE–DEDICATED ACCOUNT JUDICIAL AND COURT FAIR DEFENSE ACCOUNT STATEWIDE ELECTRONIC FILING SEXUAL ASSAULT PROGRAM PERSONNEL TRAINING FUND NO. 5073 SYSTEM FUND NO. 5157 ACCOUNT NO. 5010 NO. 540 • 8.0143% of the • $30 fi ling fee for civil cases • Fees collected from • 4.8362% of the Consolidated Consolidated Court Cost in county-level, district, and sexually oriented Court Cost • 33.3% of a $15 cost paid appellate courts businesses • 50.0% of civil fi ling fees collected by each surety posting a • $10 fi ling fee for civil cases by the Courts of Appeals bail bond in justice courts • Indigent defense $2 fee • $5 criminal court cost upon criminal conviction charged upon conviction in • Transfer of juror pay a county or district court collections N: (1) Totals may not sum due to rounding. (2) Amounts shown for General Revenue–Dedicated Sexual Assault Program Account show only the portion of revenues appropriated to the Judiciary from this account. (3) Juror pay collections represent a transfer to the General Revenue–Dedicated Fair Defense Account from General Revenue Funds if General Revenue Funds balances are more than $10.0 million. S: Legislative Budget Board, Comptroller of Public Accounts. 2 FINANCING THE JUDICIARY IN TEXAS – ID: 3140 LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD STAFF – SEPTEMBER 2016 INTRODUCTION FIGURE 3 JUDICIARY OTHER FUNDS ACCOUNTS AND REVENUE SOURCES, 2016–17 BIENNIUM IN MILLIONS TOTAL = $178.8 MILLION OTHER FUNDS ESTIMATED REVENUES OTHER FUNDS REVENUE SOURCES Assistant Prosecutor Appropriated Civil Filing Fees Supplement Fund Receipts $26.4 $0.6 Civil Penalties No. 303 14.8% $10.8 $8.9 0.3% 6.0% 5.0% Bail Bond Surety Fees $8.9 5.0% Court Costs Appropriated $127.5 Receipts 71.3% Judicial Fund No. 573 $0.6 $169.4 0.3% 94.7% Other Fees $4.7 2.6% REVENUE SOURCES BY OTHER FUNDS TYPE ASSISTANT STATE PROSECUTOR JUDICIAL FUND NO. 573 SUPPLEMENT FUND NO. 303 APPROPRIATED RECEIPTS