LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              March 22, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Toby Goodman, Chair, House Committee on
               Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB2947  by Goodman (Relating to circumstances under which
               a juvenile court may commit a child to the Texas Youth
               Commission.), As Introduced
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  HB2947, As Introduced:  positive impact of $13,824,375 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.                                                             *
**************************************************************************
  
The bill would limit offenses for which a juvenile court would commit a
youth to the Texas Youth Commission to felonies or habitual Class A or B
misdemeanors.
  
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2000                           $5,529,750  *
          *       2001                            8,294,625  *
          *       2002                            8,294,625  *
          *       2003                            8,294,625  *
          *       2004                            8,294,625  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
***************************************************************************
*Fiscal    Probable Savings/(Cost) from     Change in Number of State     *
* Year         General Revenue Fund           Employees from FY 1999      *
*                      0001                                               *
*  2000                        $5,529,750                             0.0 *
*  2001                         8,294,625                             0.0 *
*  2002                         8,294,625                             0.0 *
*  2003                         8,294,625                             0.0 *
*  2004                         8,294,625                             0.0 *
***************************************************************************
  
Technology Impact
  
N/A
  
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
It is assumed the bill would result in approximately 300 misdemeanant
commitments being diverted from the Texas Youth Commission and placed in
non-secure residential facilities in local communities.  Cost of
non-secure placement would be borne by local juvenile probation
departments unless the Legislature chose to provide additional funding
through the Juvenile Probation Department.
  
  
Methodology
  
The changes proposed for release policy are applied in a simulation model
to an on-hand population and to intakes that reflect the distribution of
offense and time served guidelines.

Savings to the Texas Youth Commission are estimated on the basis of $101
per youth per day, reflecting approximate costs of contracting with
other entities.  It is projected there would be a decrease in the Texas
Youth Commission population of 150 in FY2000 and 225 in the following
years.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
It is expected that there will be increased costs to counties based on
the number of misdemeanants that would be impacted in each county.  It
is expected that the total cost to local juvenile probation departments
if all diverted juveniles were placed in non-secure residential
facilities would be approximately $2 million in FY2000 and $2.2 million
in each of the following years.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, MD, DC