LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  April 14, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Ron E. Lewis, Chair            IN RE:  House Bill No. 2532
          Committee on County Affairs                              By: Hightower
          House
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB2532 ( Relating 
to the continuation and functions of the Commission on Jail 
Standards.) this office has detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB2532-As Introduced
         
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticpated.
         

         
 
          
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal 
basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions 
of the bill.

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would continue the 
Texas Commission on Jail Standards for a 12-year period, setting 
the next Sunset date for the agency as September 1, 2009.  Provisions 
in the bill would expand the regulatory authority of the Texas 
Commission on Jail Standards to include regulation of private 
facilities holding inmates from other states and federal inmates. 
 Additionally, the bill would establish limitations on holding 
inmates from other states or federal inmates and set prerequisites 
for private facilities to meet in order to hold inmates from 
other states or federal inmates.

Methodology

The Texas 
Commission on Jail Standards is subject to the Texas Sunset 
Act and will be abolished September 1, 1997 unless continued 
by the Legislature. Funding for the agency is included in the 
General Appropriations bill, as introduced, and is contingent 
upon passage of S.B. 367 or similar legislation.  The appropriations 
would be financed from general revenue, grants, and appropriated 
receipts and would provide $939,926 and 20 employees in fiscal 
year 1998 and $939,926 and 20 employees in fiscal year 1999. 
 

There is a potential fiscal impact of the expanded regulation 
of private jail facilities holding inmates from other states. 
 Five private facilities that currently house only federal prisoners 
could begin to house inmates from states other than Texas.  
If that were to occur, the agency would charge a fee for the 
cost of annually inspecting each facility based on the number 
of beds in each facility.  Using the current capacity of the 
five facilities, if all five facilities were to begin housing 
inmates from states other than Texas, this fee would cause an 
annual revenue gain to general revenue of $7,022. 

No fiscal 
implication to units of local government is anticipated.
          
   Source:            Agencies:   409   Commission on Jail Standards
                                         116   Sunset Advisory Commission
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,TL ,BP