LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
74th Regular Session
February 27, 1995
TO: Honorable John Whitmire, Chair IN RE: Senate Bill No. 60
Committee on Criminal Justice By:Patterson, Jerry
Senate
Austin, Texas
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on Senate Bill No.
60 (relating to the issuance of a license to carry a concealed
handgun; requiring of an applicant for the license a handgun
proficiency and safety training course and a criminal background
check; providing 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.
The bill would authorize the licensing of a person to carry a
concealed handgun. The Department of Public Safety would license
applicants meeting the criteria established in the bill, and
would adopt rules for the administration of the act.
All applicants would be required to submit certain proof of
identification as required by the bill, including two sets of
classifiable fingerprints taken by a law enforcement agency.
Applicants would be required to submit a handgun proficiency
certificate distributed to the applicant upon successful
completion of a handgun proficiency course. The bill requires
license holders to receive continuing education not more than six
months before the date of application for renewal.
A person applying for a license would be required to present an
application and identification to an employee of the Department
of Public Safety in the applicant's county of residence. This
provision would result in 254 additional part time positions in
the Department of Public Safety, at an annual cost of
approximately $2.1 million.
The bill requires the Department of Public Safety to establish
requirements for the certification of qualified handgun
instructors and establishes a $100.00 certification fee for
instructors. Certified instructors are authorized to issue
handgun proficiency certificates to persons who meet the training
and proficiency requirements specified by the Department of
Public Safety.
The bill would establish a $140.00 nonrefundable application fee,
$25.00 modification fee, $25.00 duplicate fee, and authorizes
the Department to establish a renewal fee sufficient to cover the
cost of processing the renewal application. The bill would
create a special account within the general revenue fund known as
the Concealed Handgun License Account. All fees authorized by
the act would be deposited to the credit of the Concealed Handgun
License Account and would be dedicated for the purpose of
administering the provisions of the act. At the end of each
fiscal year, the Comptroller of Public Accounts would be required
to transfer excess funds in the account into the general revenue
fund.
The following revenue estimate provided by the Comptroller of
Public Accounts does not include an estimate of revenue related
to duplicate, modification or renewal fees.
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 Out Probable Revenue Change in
Year of the Concealed Gain from the Number of State
Handgun License Concealed Handgun Employees from
Account in the License Account in FY 1995
General Revenue the General
Fund 001 Revenue Fund 001
1996 $14,898,701 $10,728,000 355.0
1997 8,823,178 9,064,000 355.0
1998 8,535,725 6,620,000 355.0
1999 8,621,128 6,724,000 355.0
2000 8,653,292 6,883,000 355.0
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: Comptroller of Public Accounts, Department of Public
Safety
LBB Staff: JK, BL, RR