LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
75th Regular Session
April 1, 1997
TO: Honorable Warren Chisum, Chair IN RE: House Bill No. 3462
Committee on Environmental Regulation By: Chisum
House
Austin, Texas
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB3462 ( Relating
to transferring certain responsibilities of the Texas Natural
Resource Conservation Commission related to certain radioactive
materials to the Texas Department of Health.) this office has
detemined the following:
Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB3462-As Introduced
Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a
net impact of $0 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 transfer the responsibilities for licensing and
regulation of source material recovery and processing, uranium
by-product disposal, and long-term care of decommissioned sites
from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC)
to the Texas Department of Health (TDH).
The provisions
of the bill require that one month after the effective date
of the Act, but not later than September 1, 1997, all related
duties, powers, obligations, property, and programs be transferred
from the TNRCC to the TDH. All fees related to pending applications
as of the transfer date would be transferred to the TDH. TNRCC
would be prohibited from assessing the application fee in the
future for the same applications.
The bill would require
the TDH to reevaluate the fees assessed under the program to
ensure that they are sufficient to cover program costs. If
the TDH determines that past fees were higher than program costs,
the agency would be required to refund any fees newly-increased
in the past year to the payor as appropriate.
Methodolgy
Annually, the TNRCC spends $287,786, including 6.5 FTEs, for
this program out of a General Revenue Dedicated Account (the
Radioactive Substance Fee Account #0340). This amount would
be transferred to the Department of Health under the provisions
of the bill.
The TDH estimates that annual program costs
would be about $700,000 each year and require 10 FTEs. TDH
projects that, after the fund transfer is completed, the agency
will require: an additional $100,000 for lab costs for uranium
samples; an additional $40,000 and one FTE for hearings; and,
$272,000 and 2.5 FTEs to address a backlog for assessments of
decommissioned sites.
The fiscal analysis reflects a transfer
of appropriations from TNRCC for fiscal years 1998 and 1999
to cover partial costs of the program. The remaining costs
would be recovered through fees assessed and deposited to the
credit of the General Revenue Fund.
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 Transfer from Probable Revenue Probable Revenue Probable
Radioactive Gain/(Loss) from Gain/(Loss) from Savings/(Cost)
Substance Fee Other - Radioactive from Radioactive
Account/ Interagency Substance Fee Substance Fee
GR-Dedicated Transfer Account/ Account/
GR-Dedicated GR-Dedicated
0340 OTHER-OTH 0340 0340
1998 ($287,786) $287,786 $0 $0
1998 (287,786) 287,786 0 0
2000 0 0 (287,786) 287,786
2001 0 0 (287,786) 287,786
2002 0 0 (287,786) 287,786
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 ($439,106) $439,106 3.5
1999 (394,058) 394,058 3.5
2000 (681,844) 681,844 3.5
2001 (676,234) 676,234 3.5
2002 (676,234) 676,234 3.5
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 $0
1999 0
2000 0
2001 0
2002 0
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: 501 Department of Health
582 Natural Resources Conservation Commission
LBB Staff: JK ,BB ,MS