LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
75th Regular Session
April 7, 1997
TO: Honorable Debra Danburg, Chair IN RE: House Bill No. 32, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Committee on Elections By: Greenberg
House
Austin, Texas
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB32 ( Relating
to primary election dates and procedures and related dates.)
this office has detemined the following:
Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB32-Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a net
impact of $0 to General Revenue Related Funds through the biennium
ending August 31, 1999.
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 relates to the various election dates
and procedures and would take effect September 1, 1999.
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would change the May uniform election date to the fourth
Saturday in March but would give the political subdivisions
until December 31, 1999 to change their general election date.
It would change the primary election date to the first Saturday
in May and the primary runoff to the first Saturday in June.
The
Secretary of State estimates that the bill would increase costs
because the primary and runoff elections would be conducted
on a Saturday instead of the current Tuesday, a time when most
public buildings are open. Currently, there usually is not
a cost for the use of public buildings for polling locations,
but the bill would create a rental cost for the use of these
buildings.
Methodolgy
The methodology used to determine the probable cost of the bill
is based on a calculation of the cost for the number of polling
locations used in the 1996 primary and runoff elections. Approximately
75 percent of the cost for polling place rentals for the primary
and runoff elections would be added because the bill would require
the elections to be conducted on a Saturday instead of the current
Tuesday, and approximately 75 percent of the costs for polling
places resulted from the use of public buildings. The Secretary
of State estimates that the probable cost of the bill would
be $1,015,852 in each election year, which results from 75 percent
of the average cost of renting polling places times the number
of polls used in the 1996 elections. The other 25 percent of
the cost has already been calculated in the Secretary of State's
proposed budget for the 1998-99 biennium. Since the bill would
not take effect until September 1, 1999, there would be no fiscal
impact on general revenue-related funds during the 1998-99 biennium.
The probable fiscal implications of implementing the provisions
of the bill during each of the first five years following passage
is estimated as follows:
Five Year Impact:
Fiscal Year Probable
Savings/(Cost)
from General
Revenue Fund
0001
1998 $0
1998 0
2000 (1,015,852)
2001 0
2002 (1,015,852)
Net Impact on General Revenue Related Funds:
The probable fiscal implication to General Revenue related funds
during each of the first five years is estimated as follows:
Fiscal Year Probable Net Postive/(Negative)
General Revenue Related Funds
Funds
1998 $0
1999 0
2000 (1,015,852)
2001 0
2002 (1,015,852)
Similar annual fiscal implications would continue as long as
the provisions of the bill are in effect.
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source: Agencies:
LBB Staff: JK ,PE ,JC