LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  March 19, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Eddie Lucio, Jr., Chair            IN RE:  Senate Bill No. 336
          Committee on Intergovernmental Relations                              By: Gallegos
          Senate
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB336 ( Relating 
to the right of fire fighters to meet and confer.) this office 
has detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by SB336-As Introduced
         
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
         

         
 
This bill would give to fire fighters the right to confer collectively 
with their public employer concerning wages, hours, working 
conditions, and other terms of employment.

Because fire fighters 
would, to some extent, be able to have control over working 
conditions, the Commission on Fire Protection may experience 
some increase in current workload.   For example, if a fire 
fighters association determined it wanted protective clothing 
inspected more frequently than currently done by the commission, 
commission staff could be required to devote more time and resources 
to such activity.  However, it is not anticipated that this 
bill would have a significant impact on the commission.
          
This bill would apply only to local governments which have not 
adopted Chapter 176, Local Government Code.

Local governments 
affected by the bill which employ fire fighters should not experience 
any immediate fiscal implications as a result of this bill's 
passage.  However, a local government could see increased costs 
in terms of salaries and other expenses relating to employment 
conditions, if a fire fighters association succeeds in raising 
salaries and standards as a result of collective negotiations 
made possible by this bill. 
          
   Source:            Agencies:   411   Commission on Fire Protection
                                         320   Texas Workforce Commission
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,TL