LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
75th Regular Session
April 24, 1997
TO: Honorable J.E. "Buster" Brown, Chair IN RE: Senate Bill No. 1857, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Committee on Natural Resources By: Brown
Senate
Austin, Texas
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB1857 ( 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 SB1857-Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
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 30 days 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. TDH
would be prohibited from assessing a fee for applications which
were pending before the Commission at the time the duties are
transferred.
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 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 ($388,448) $338,448 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:
Fiscal Year Probable Net Postive/(Negative)
General Revenue Related Funds
Funds
1998 ($50,000)
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