LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                          Austin, Texas

                           FISCAL NOTE
                       74th Regular Session

                          April 2, 1995



 TO:     Honorable Ken Armbrister, Chair        IN RE:  Senate Bill No. 976
         Committee on State Affairs                     By: Wentworth
         Senate
         Austin, Texas







FROM: John Keel, Director

In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on Senate Bill No.
976 (Relating to the issuance of specially designed Texas nature
license plates and establishing the environmental education
account in the general revenue fund.) 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 provide for the issuance of special Texas nature
license plates for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles
having a manufacture's rated capacity of one ton or less. The
Texas Department of Transportation would be required to set a
reasonable fee for the plates, of which, 65% would be deposited
to the credit of an environmental education account established
in the general Revenue with 35% deposited to the credit of the
State Highway Fund. Those amounts credited to the State Highway
Fund would be used only for the cost of administering the
provision.

The bill would exempt the environmental education account from
the application of Section 403.094 and 403.095, Government Code.

Although there may be some costs to the Central Education Agency
information regarding those costs was not available at the time.

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   Probable Revenue  
             Year   of  State Highway    Gain to  State       Gain to the    
                         Fund 006       Highway Fund 006     Environmental   
                                                           Education Account 
                                                                             
          1996                 $57,729            $40,000             $75,000
          1997                  36,595             40,000              75,000
                                                                             
          1998                  36,595             40,000              75,000
                                                                             
          1999                  36,595             40,000              75,000
          2000                  36,595             40,000              75,000
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             
            Fiscal  Probable Cost to  
             Year   Local Governments 
                                      
                                      
                                      
          1996                  $2,185
          1997                   2,185
                                      
          1998                   2,185
                                      
          1999                   2,185
          2000                   2,185
                                      
                                      
                                      



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
Transportation,
                         Central Education Agency -Administration
          LBB Staff: JK, ML, DF