LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  April 28, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Teel Bivins, Chair            IN RE:  House Bill No. 2721, As Engrossed
          Committee on Education                              By: Hunter
          Senate
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB2721 ( Relating 
to the TexShare library sharing consortium.) this office has 
detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB2721-As Engrossed
         
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
         

         
 
The bill would establish, in statute, the TexShare library consortium 
as a program to be operated  by and within the State Library 
and Archives Commission for libraries at institutions of higher 
education, including private colleges and universities and community 
and junior colleges.  The bill would allow the State Library 
to collect membership fees, allow the director and librarian 
to employ staff sufficient to achieve the purposes of the consortium, 
establish an advisory board, and specify that the State Library 
shall establish and maintain the TexShare library consortium 
to the extent of available appropriations.  The bill would take 
effect September 1, 1997.

It is estimated that with expanded 
membership eligibility, the costs to the State Library to operate 
the consortium would be approximately $1.48 million in fiscal 
year 1998, and $1.44 million in each year thereafter. The State 
Library indicates that four additional FTEs would be required 
to establish and operate the program.   However, because the 
bill requires that the TexShare program be administered with 
available/existing appropriations, there are no additional costs 
associated with implementing the provision of this bill.
          
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
          
   Source:            Agencies:   
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,LP ,JA