Highlights 77th Texas Legislature - Senate

_____________________ A PPROPRIATIONS
PPROPRIATIONS ACT
77 th Texas Legislature
additional 15 FTEs for the creation of eight new foster care courts funded through the Office of
Court Administration.
• A General Revenue Funds increase of $0.4 million to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct
for an additional 2 FTEs, a Public Awareness program, and Judicial Diversion (Amicus Curiae)
program.
• An Other Funds increase of $1.7 million to the Court of Criminal Appeals for the costs of expanded
training and technical assistance to criminal defense attorneys who regularly represent indigent
defendants in criminal matters.
• Continued funding of the Judicial Committee on Information Technology (JCIT), including a $5.7
million increase in General Revenue Funds.
• A General Revenue Funds reduction of $2 million and 22 FTEs, due to the elimination of the
Metropolitan Court Backlog Reduction Program.
Public Safety and Criminal Justice
S.B. 1 appropriated $8,289.5 million of All Funds for the 2002-2003 biennium for Public Safety and Criminal
Justice agencies, which is an increase of $205.1 million, or 2.5 percent, from the previous biennium.
General Revenue and General Revenue-Dedicated Funds appropriations total $7,148.9 million, an
increase of $308.1 million, or 4.5 percent, when compared to the 2000–2001 biennium. Significant budget
recommendations for Public Safety and Criminal Justice agencies include the following:
• A $185.9 million General Revenue Funds increase to provide salary increases and extend the
career ladders for adult and juvenile correctional officers, parole officers, juvenile probation officers,
and other correctional personnel.
Provides the Alcoholic Beverage Commission a $0.7 million increase in General Revenue Funds for
additional personnel for the agency’s Port-of-Entry Program contingent on certification that the additional
personnel will result in an increase in tax collections on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages in an amount
sufficient to support the costs of program expansion.
Provides the Department of Criminal Justice:
• An increase of $146 million in General Revenue Funds to provide salary increases and extend the
career ladder for correctional officers, parole officers, and other correctional personnel.
• An increase of $31 million to enhance mental health services in the criminal justice system.
• An increase of $13.3 million for projected increases in felony community supervision (probation)
and parole populations.
• An increase of $12.6 million for multi-year contract rate increases for contract prisons and privately
operated state jails.
• The replacement of $9.1 million in Federal Funds (for incarcerated aliens) with General Revenue
Funds to compensate for an anticipated reduction in the federal award.
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