LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
May 3, 1999
TO: Honorable Debra Danburg, Chair, House Committee on
Elections
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: HB1699 by Danburg (Relating to certain voter
registration information, processes, and procedures),
Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB1699, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: negative impact *
* of $(462,811) 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:
****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2000 $(397,322) *
* 2001 (65,489) *
* 2002 (65,489) *
* 2003 (65,489) *
* 2004 (65,489) *
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All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable Savings/(Cost) from Change in Number of State *
* Year General Revenue Fund Employees from FY 1999 *
* 0001 *
* 2000 $(397,322) 1.0 *
* 2001 (65,489) 1.0 *
* 2002 (65,489) 1.0 *
* 2003 (65,489) 1.0 *
* 2004 (65,489) 1.0 *
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Technology Impact
All costs for the bill would be attributable to technology impact.
Fiscal Analysis
The bill could require the Department of Public Safety to prepare an
abstract of information received under Chapter 60, Code of Criminal
Procedure (Criminal History Record System), for all resident adults
convicted of a felony. The abstract would be filed with the voter
registrar of the individual's county of residence within a reasonable
period. Implementation of the bill would require changes to the existing
Computerized Criminal History (CCH) System to generate the abstracts.
The bill would require counties to deliver lists of registered voters and
other information to the Secretary of State in electronic format for
inclusion in the Master File of Voter Registrants. The bill would also
require the inclusion of voting history information in the voter
registration information counties provide to the Secretary of State.
The Secretary of State estimates a cost of $181,632 to modify the Texas
Voter Registration System to add voting history information.
Methodology
The Department of Public Safety estimates one full-time equivalent
employee would be required to coordinate the program. Contract
programming costs to develop abstract reports from the CCH system are
estimated at $144,000 (720 hours @ $200/hour).
The Secretary of State estimates that the cost to modify the Texas Voter
Registration System would require 3,027.2 hours of labor at $60 per
hour. The agency also estimates the bill would require it to obtain
additional disk space at a cost of $1,440.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
Source Agencies: 405 Department of Public Safety
LBB Staff: JK, PE, PH, SG