LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  May 16, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable J.E. "Buster" Brown, Chair            IN RE:  House Bill No. 2848, Committee Report 2nd House, as amended
          Committee on Natural Resources                              By: Berlanga
          Senate
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB2848 ( Relating 
to the curation of artifacts and other items in the custody 
of the Texas Historical Commission.) this office has detemined 
the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB2848-Committee Report 2nd House, as amended
         
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
         
The bill would allow the Historical Commission to contract with 
qualified institutions to serve as a repository for artifacts 
in its custody and would designate the Corpus Christi Museum 
of Science and History as the repository for marine artifacts. 
 Ownership of the artifacts would remain with the commission. 
 The Historical Commission could contract with other qualified 
institutions to serve as additional repositories for marine 
artifacts and the commission could authorize archeological repositories 
to loan artifacts to qualified institutions for display.

The 
Historical Commission has indicated that, in general, their 
practice has been to negotiate mutual agreements or partnerships 
with institutions regarding marine or archeological artifacts 
that do not result in a cost to the commission.  In the event 
that a contract would be necessary, contract costs would vary 
depending on the size of the collection, the type of artifacts, 
and the work required on the collection.    
         
 
          
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
          
   Source:            Agencies:   
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,BB ,TH ,JA