TO:	Honorable Victoria Neave Criado, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB1487 by Gerdes (relating to the creation of a rural county law enforcement grant program.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

The bill would amend the Government Code to establish a Rural County Law Enforcement Grant Program administered by the Comptroller to defray personnel, training, and equipment costs for sheriff's offices and constable's offices of a county with a population of less than 275,000. Grants would be awarded in amounts between $250,000 and $500,000 depending on population size of the requesting county. The funding must be used for specified salaries, hiring of deputies, jailers, or office support staff, recruitment costs, the purchase, lease, or maintenance of certain resources, and training costs. The bill would require the Comptroller to report to the legislature on the results and performance of the grant program. 

According to the 2021 U.S. Census Data there are 236 Texas counties that meet the definition of a Rural County Law Enforcement Agency, as defined in Section 403.571 of the Government Code. While it is unknown how much funding may ultimately be appropriated to support this grant program, it can be assumed that most eligible agencies would seek funding, including the sheriff's department and any constable's offices within these counties. This may place the number of grants within this program from anywhere between 200 to 300.

House Bill 1, Committee Substitute, 88th Legislative Session, includes $350,000,000 for county law enforcement contingent on the enactment of legislation relating to providing counties with additional law enforcement resources by the Eighty-eighth Legislature, Regular Session.

Local Government Impact

The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time.