LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  March 3, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Rodney Ellis, Chair            IN RE:  Senate Bill No. 670
          Committee on Jurisprudence                              By: Shapiro
          Senate
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB670 ( Relating 
to adoption incentives for licensed child-placing agencies.) 
this office has detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by SB670-As Introduced
         

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. 
 
         
The bill would amend Chapter 162 of the Family Code to require 
the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services to pay 
licensed child-placing agencies a monetary incentive for completing 
the adoption of a child who is receiving or entitled to receive 
foster care at the department's expense.  The monetary incentive 
would equal 25% of the amount the department would have spent 
to provide one year of foster care for the child.

The department 
reports that 40 adoptions were completed in fiscal year 1996 
as a result of child-placing agency actions.  The department 
also reports that it would have spent about $385,000 to provide 
one year of foster care for all of these children if none had 
been adopted.

If the number of adoptions completed as a result 
of child-placing agency actions remains static, the projected 
annual cost of the bill would be less than $100,000 (25% of 
$385,000).  However, implementation of the bill could increase 
the number of adoptions and allow some savings for the department. 
 In either event, no significant fiscal implication to the State 
is anticipated.
         
 
          
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
          
   Source:            Agencies:   530   Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,BB ,NM