LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE 75th Regular Session February 27, 1997 TO: Honorable Judith Zaffirini, Chair IN RE: Senate Bill No. 115, Committee Report 1st House Committee on Health & Human Services By: Zaffirini Senate Austin, Texas FROM: John Keel, Director In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB115 ( Relating to certain investigations conducted by the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.) this office has detemined the following: Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by SB115-Committee Report 1st House No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. This bill would amend Section 48.081 of the Human Resources Code to provide that the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, by rule, may assign priorities to an investigation of abuse, neglect or exploitation in a state mental health/mental retardation facility or a community mental health/mental retardation center. The bill provides that the department's primary criterion in assigning a priority must be the risk that a delay in the investigation will impede collection of evidence. The department estimates that it will cost approximately $10,000 to re-program the automated system so that caseworkers can assign priorities to these investigations. In the event that a decision is made to establish a priority-based system, this one-time cost would not be significant. No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. Source: Agencies: 530 Department of Protective and Regulatory Services 655 Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation LBB Staff: JK ,BB