LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
75th Regular Session
April 30, 1997
TO: Honorable Harvey Hilderbran, Chair IN RE: House Bill No. 2663, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Committee on Human Services By: Wise
House
Austin, Texas
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB2663 ( Relating
to background and criminal history checks conducted on certain
employees, potential employees, and volunteers who directly
interact with or have the opportunity to associate with children.)
this office has detemined the following:
Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB2663-Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a net
positive impact of $92,340 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.
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would amend Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code
to require the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
(PRS) to conduct background and criminal history checks when
a person applies for family home registration and at least once
every 24 months thereafter. Each check would include a search
of the department's records of reported abuse and neglect, and
a search of criminal history information made available by the
Department of Public Safety (DPS) under Section 411.114 of the
Government Code. A family home would be required to pay a fee
in an amount not to exceed the administrative costs of conducting
the check. The effective date for the bill would be September
1, 1997.
Methodolgy
PRS currently conducts background and criminal history checks
when a person applies for family home registration. The agency
does not conduct background and criminal history checks at least
once every 24 months after issuing the registration.
It is
assumed that PRS would conduct background and criminal history
checks on 1,785 new family homes and 6,096 registered family
homes each year. The agency estimates that each check would
encompass an average of 2.5 persons. It is assumed that each
person would be checked for a history of abuse or neglect using
the department's own records, and for a criminal history using
records kept by DPS or the FBI. PRS would need to increase
its licensing staff to accommodate the additional workload.
It
is assumed that PRS would establish a fee to recover the full
administrative costs of conducting the background and criminal
history checks on new family homes as well as registered family
homes. The administrative costs would encompass staff to search
the department's abuse and neglect records, a $1 fee for each
DPS search, and a $24 fee for FBI fingerprint searches that
would be conducted on a very small number of individuals. Cost
and revenue estimates have been updated based on information
received after the previous fiscal note was issued.
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 Probable Revenue Change in Number
Savings/(Cost) Gain/(Loss) from of State
from General General Revenue Employees from
Revenue Fund Fund FY 1997
0001 0001
1998 ($157,738) $203,908 3.4
1998 (157,738) 203,908 3.4
2000 (157,738) 203,908 3.4
2001 (157,738) 203,908 3.4
2002 (157,738) 203,908 3.4
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 $46,170
1999 46,170
2000 46,170
2001 46,170
2002 46,170
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 ,BB ,NM