Bill Summary for Bill Number SB06-182

Date: 02/16/2006

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB06-182

SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Motion to add an appropriations clause to SB 06-18 Motion to refer SB 06-182, as amended, to the Comm	Pass Without Objection PASS

09:47 AM -- Senate Bill 06-182

Senator Sandoval, chair, called the meeting to order. Senator Tapia, prime sponsor, explained the provisions SB 06-182, a Joint Budget Committee (JBC) bill that requires certain fees, surcharges, taxes, fines, penalties, and claims collected by the Judicial Branch to be deposited into the Judicial Stabilization Cash Fund instead of the General Fund. A JBC staff summary of the bill was distributed to the committee (Attachment A). Senator Tapia indicated that some Judicial Department fees have always been deposited into the General Fund. The committee discussed the impact of the reduction in General Fund revenue on the Highway Users Tax Fund (HUTF).

The following people testified on the bill:

09:55 AM -- Mr. Jerry Marroney, Judicial Department, spoke in favor of the bill. He discussed the Judicial Department's efforts to come up with a 5 year funding plan for the Department and explained how the judicial system is understaffed. He also noted how the bill would give the JBC discretion under the 6 percent spending limit and provide the Judicial Department more budgetary discretion.

The committee discussed the need to adequately fund the Judicial Department but acknowledged that it competes with the funding needs of other departments.

Senator Tapia explained that the bill would assure that money generated in fees collected by Judicial Department would be used by the Department and not for other General Fund purposes. He indicated that the JBC is trying to develop a more sensible budget so that money that is generated from certain activities be used to fund related functions. Senator Tupa discussed his concerns with 2006 budget legislation that contradict each other. Senator Tapia discussed his bill that would remove HUTF funding of ports of entry, which would free up money for highway spending.

10:21 AM

Senator Tapia closed by asking for support of the bill and by stating that the bill would help stabilize the Judicial Department's budget and provide increased budget flexibility under the 6 percent spending limit.


BILL:	SB06-182
TIME:	10:22:40 AM
MOVED:	Shaffer
MOTION:	Motion to add an appropriations clause to SB 06-182. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Brophy
	Shaffer
	Taylor
	Teck
	Tupa
	Veiga
	Sandoval
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	SB06-182
TIME:	10:21:58 AM
MOVED:	Shaffer
MOTION:	Motion to refer SB 06-182, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 6 - 1 vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Brophy	No
	Shaffer	Yes
	Taylor	Yes
	Teck	Yes
	Tupa	Yes
	Veiga	Yes
	Sandoval	Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS