LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
March 8, 1999
TO: Honorable Toby Goodman, Chair, House Committee on
Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: HB228 by West George "Buddy" (Relating to an abused
child's removal from and return to certain households.),
As Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB228, As Introduced: negative impact of $(6,740,953) through the *
* biennium ending August 31, 2001. *
* *
* The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal *
* basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of *
* the bill. *
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General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2000 $(2,575,314) *
* 2001 (4,165,639) *
* 2002 (4,853,003) *
* 2003 (5,311,246) *
* 2004 (5,311,246) *
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All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable Probable Change in Number of *
* Year Savings/(Cost) from Savings/(Cost) from State Employees from *
* General Revenue Fund Federal Funds FY 1999 *
* 0001 0555 *
* 2000 $(2,575,314) $(3,970,169) 53.9 *
* 2001 (4,165,639) (5,764,241) 86.3 *
* 2002 (4,853,003) (6,404,592) 86.3 *
* 2003 (5,311,246) (6,831,493) 86.3 *
* 2004 (5,311,246) (6,831,493) 86.3 *
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Fiscal Analysis
The bill would prevent courts from ordering the return of an abused child
to a home in which the child's abuser lives. It would also require the
Department of Protective and Regulatory Services to remove a child from
a home into which the child's abuser has moved. It is anticipated that
the bill would cause more children to be removed from their homes and
placed in foster care.
Methodology
It is assumed that one-half of the number of children reunified with
their nuclear families in fiscal year 1998 would be placed in foster
care because they could not be reunified with their nuclear families or
placed with relatives. The number of children reunified with their
nuclear families in fiscal year 1998 was 2,448; therefore, the number of
children who would not be reunified or placed with relatives in fiscal
year 2000 and beyond would be 1,224 per year. One-half of these
children (612 children) would be adopted within 180 days and one-half
(612 children) would reside in long-term foster care for an average of
730 days per child. It is assumed that the caseload would gradually
rise during fiscal year 2000. Approximately 86 FTEs would be needed to
provide social work services for the additional children during the
first full year of operation (fiscal year 2001) including 64
caseworkers, 9 supervisors, 11 clerical workers and 2 legal workers.
Foster care would cost $15.85 per day per child. There are no
method-of-financing changes from fiscal year 1999.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
LBB Staff: JK, MD, NM