LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
74th Regular Session
March 20, 1995
TO: Honorable Ken Armbrister, Chair IN RE: Senate Joint
Committee on State Affairs Resolution
Senate No. 34
Austin, Texas By: Nelson
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on Senate Joint
Resolution No. 34 (proposing a constitutional amendment to
reserve to the people the powers of initiative and referendum)
this office has determined the following:
The resolution proposes a constitutional amendment which, if
adopted, would reserve to the people the powers of initiative and
referendum. Counties would be required to conduct initiative and
referendum elections.
The Secretary of State would be required to prepare and print
certain mailouts, supply forms and perform statistical samplings
in order to verify petitions. The Secretary of State estimates
there would be one initiative or referendum election on the
ballot following each legislative session.
The Attorney General would be required to advise petitioners as
to the proper form and language of proposed measures, to redraft
certain measures, or in the event a proposed measure is
unconstitutional, to provide a written explanation to
petitioners. Both the initiative and referendum procedures would
require the payment of $100 fees with the appropriate state
official; however, the uncertainty about the number of such
filings renders estimates of revenue to the state from these
filings indeterminable.
The Comptroller of Public Accounts would be required to perform
an analysis of the fiscal implications of initiatives at the
request of the Attorney General. Due to uncertainty regarding
the number of such request, or their complexity, the cost to the
Comptroller to perform these analyses cannot be determined.
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 to Probable Cost to Change in
Year the Secretary of the Attorney Number of State
State Out of General Out of Employees from
General Revenue General Revenue FY 1995
Fund 001 Fund 001
1996 $87,700 $1,039,527 13.0
1997 0 1,007,933 13.0
1998 89,328 1,007,933 13.0
1999 0 1,007,933 13.0
2000 89,328 1,007,933 13.0
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: Office of the Attorney General, Comptroller of Public
Accounts, Secretary of State
LBB Staff: JK, JC, DF