LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE 75th Regular Session April 1, 1997 TO: Honorable Debra Danburg, Chair IN RE: House Bill No. 32 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-As Introduced Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a net negative impact of $(1,015,852) 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. 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, 1997 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 probably 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 resulted 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. 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 ($1,015,852) 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 ($1,015,852) 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: 307 Secretary of State LBB Staff: JK ,PE ,JC