LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE 75th Regular Session January 23, 1997 TO: Honorable John Whitmire, Chair IN RE: Senate Bill No. 250 Committee on Criminal Justice By: Whitmire/et al. Senate Austin, Texas FROM: John Keel, Director In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB250 ( Relating to the repeal of release to mandatory supervision and to parole procedures applicable to certain inmates of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.) this office has detemined the following: Biennial Net Inpact to General Revenue Funds by SB250-1 As Introduced Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a net negative impact of $(126,268,441) 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. Because this bill does not make an appropriation, the net certification impact would be dependent upon subsequent legislative apprpriations. Fiscal Analysis The bill would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure by requiring prisoners eligible for release to mandatory supervision to be subject to review by a parole panel. Application of this provision will apply to all inmates incarcerated on or after September 1, 1997. Application of parole review occurs regardless of whether the offense is committed before, on, or after September 1, 1997. Inmates released from imprisonment before September 1, 1997, are covered by the law in effect immediately before September 1, 1997. Methodolgy In order to estimate the future impact of the proposal, the changes proposed for release policy are applied in a simulation of prison admissions and on-hand prison population, reflecting the current distribution of offenses, sentence lengths, and time served. The decrease in the number of people on parole supervision resulting from the corresponding decrease in prison releases is similarly estimated. 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 Probable Probable Savings/(Cost) Savings/(Cost) from General from General Revenue Fund Revenue Fund 0001 0001 1998 ($47,519,473) $2,949,752 1998 (86,200,191) 4,501,471 2000 (96,792,941) 4,039,176 2001 (100,380,102) 3,262,502 2002 (98,492,819) 2,475,699 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 ($44,569,721) 1999 (81,698,720) 2000 (92,753,765) 2001 (97,117,600) 2002 (96,017,120) Similar annual fiscal implications would continue as long as the provisions of the bill are in effect. No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. Source: Agencies: