LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  May 6, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Fred Hill, Chair            IN RE:  House Bill No. 2750
          Committee on Urban Affairs                              By: Hinojosa
          House
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB2750 ( Relating 
to certain municipal firefighters and police officers entitled 
to additional wages; providing a civil penalty.) this office 
has detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB2750-As Introduced
         
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
         

         
 
          
This bill would entitle firefighters and police officers with 
fluency in a language other than English to additional wages.

This 
bill would have no fiscal impact on municipalities currently 
providing additional pay to bilingual fire fighters and police 
officers.  However, this bill could increase costs to municipalities 
currently not offering additional compensation to bilingual 
employees in affected departments.  Increased costs would depend 
on the number of bilingual employees to which the bill would 
apply and the rate of additional compensation granted.

According 
to the Dallas Clearinghouse Survey of Police and Fire Salaries 
and Benefits, April 15, 1997, of seven municipalities offering 
some compensation to bilingual police officers and fire fighters, 
six offered at least $50 per month per employee in additional 
pay.  Assuming a municipality currently not granting additional 
pay would offer at least the additional $50 per month to bilingual 
employees upon enactment of this bill,  it is estimated that 
the City of Corpus Christi (335 bilingual police and fire employees), 
for example, would incur additional annual costs of $201,000, 
while the City of Lubbock (43 bilingual police and fire employees) 
would incur additional annual costs of $25,800. 
          
   Source:            Agencies:   304   Comptroller of Public Accounts
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,TL