LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
74th Regular Session
April 28, 1995
TO: Honorable John Whitmire, Chair IN RE: Committee Substitute
Committee on Criminal Justice for
Senate Senate Bill
Austin, Texas No. 1135
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on Senate Bill No.
1135 (relating to the Commission on Law Enforcement Officer
Standards and Education) this office has determined the
following:
The bill would add to or amend several sections of the Government
Code dealing with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer
Standards and Education (TCLEOSE). The bill would require the
commission to establish minimum curriculum requirements for
certain schools that are subject to the commission's approval.
The bill would provide additional requirements for continuing
education programs.
The bill would establish a reporting process for resignation and
termination of officers and county jailers.
The bill would increase the amount of the court costs currently
designated for deposit to the law enforcement standards and
education fund and the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management
Institute of Texas fund account. The bill would increase the
court cost to $3.50 from $1.50. The costs collected under this
bill would be deposited in the state treasury, with $1 to be
credited to the Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education
Fund for administrative expenses, $2 to be credited to the Law
Enforcement Officer Standards and Education Fund for expenses
related to continuing education and the remaining 50 cents would
be deposited as required by current law.
The bill would recreate the Law Enforcement Officer Standards and
Education Fund as a special fund in the state treasury. The bill
would require the Comptroller to allocate the money deposited to
the Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education Fund during
the preceding calendar year.
The money would be allocated to local law enforcement agencies in
the state, based on a formula provided for the allocation. Money
received by the local agency would be subject to Comptroller
audit and all money expended would be subject to audit by the
State Auditor. In addition, the county or municipality with
jurisdiction over the agency would be required to annually
conduct an audit of the law enforcement agency and send the
results of the audit to the Comptroller. The bill would become
effective on September 1, 1995 and the increase in court costs
would apply only to an offense committed on or after that date.
There would be an additional gain to the recreated Law
Enforcement Officer Standards and Education Fund from the revenue
which currently goes into the consolidated account in the General
Revenue Fund ($1 of the current court fee is deposited into the
consolidated account). The law enforcement officer standards and
education account and its revenue sources are currently scheduled
to lose their dedications on August 31, 1995. The balance in the
law enforcement officer standards and education account would
remain in the General Revenue Fund because the effective date of
the bill is September 1, 1995.
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 Probable Revenue Certification Loss
Year Administrative Gain to Law
Cost Out of Law Officer
Officer Standards Standards &
& Education Fund Education
116 Fund 116
GR Consolidated
1996 $105,675 $8,400,000 $3,600,000
1997 96,675 10,800,000 3,600,000
1998 96,675 10,800,000 3,600,000
1999 96,675 10,800,000 3,600,000
2000 96,675 10,800,000 3,600,000
Fiscal Change in
Year Number of State
Employees from
FY 1995
1996 3.0
1997 3.0
1998 3.0
1999 3.0
2000 3.0
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, Commission on Law
Enforcement Officer Standards
and Education
LBB Staff: JK, BL, RR