LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
74th Regular Session
April 21, 1995
TO: Honorable John Whitmire, Chair IN RE: Committee Substitute
Committee on Criminal Justice for
Senate House Bill
Austin, Texas No. 327
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on House Bill No.
327 (relating to the juvenile justice system, including the
adjudication and disposition of children; providing for civil and
criminal penalties) this office has determined the following:
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal
basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions
of the bill.
This bill would amend Title 3 of the Family Code and Chapter 61
of the Human Resources Code by:
* Requiring law enforcement records of juvenile offenders be
sent to a central state depository.
* Allowing each juvenile probation department to implement a
progressive sanctions program under the direction of the Texas
Juvenile Probation Department.
* Expanding the sentenced juvenile offender statute to
include new offenses.
* Lowering the minimum age for certification and transfer to
adult court.
* Allowing the fingerprinting and photographing of juveniles
referred to juvenile court for certain offenses.
* Requiring the Texas Youth Commission to accept mentally
retarded delinquents in appropriate correctional facilities.
* Authorizing the Texas Youth Commission to operate or
contract for youth boot camp programs for certain juvenile
offenders.
* Establishing early youth intervention services for certain
at-risk youth.
* Establishing an industries program and the Texas Youth
Commission industries program fund in the state treasury.
The cost of implementing the progressive sanctions model would
depend on the decision of each individual juvenile probation
department and therefore cannot be determined. Cost estimates
for the Texas Youth Commission assumes the commission will
convert a number of units currently operated by the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice into juvenile facilities.
House Bill 1, the General Appropriations Act, contains $4 million
for implementing the juvenile justice database and tracking
system.
The Criminal Justice Policy Council is given additional juvenile
justice program evaluation duties.
The probable fiscal implication of implementing the provisions of
the bill during each of the first five years following passage
is estimated as follows:
Fiscal Probable Cost Probable Probable Costs
Year Out of Construction for Debt Service
General Revenue Costs From General out of the
Fund 001 Obligation Bonds General
Revenue Fund 001
1996 $8,241,719 $8,841,208 $442,060
1997 23,988,896 884,120
1998 40,100,336 4,420,604 1,105,150
1999 49,843,681 1,326,180
2000 57,067,063 1,326,180
Fiscal Probable Cost Change in
Year Out of Number of State
Federal Employees from
Funds 555 FY 1995
1996 $9,600,000 51.0
1997 13,800,000 56.0
1998 14,009,915 268.0
1999 14,279,957 505.0
2000 14,649,498 743.0
Similar annual fiscal implications would continue as long as the
provisions of the bill are in effect.
The fiscal implication to units of local government cannot be
determined.
Source: Department of Public Safety, Criminal Justice Policy
Council, Texas Department
of Mental Health and Mental
Retardation, Juvenile Probation Commission,
Youth Commission, Department of
Criminal Justice, Department of Protective
and Regulatory Services
LBB Staff: JK, BP, RT, RR