LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              March 13, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Tom Ramsay, Chair, House Committee on County
               Affairs
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB 204  by Carona (Relating to permitting county officers
               and employees to receive reduced airline fares while
               engaged in official county business.), Committee Report
               2nd House, Substituted
  
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*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  SB204, Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted:  positive impact      *
*  of $0 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.                                                             *
**************************************************************************
  
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2000                                   $0  *
          *       2001                                    0  *
          *       2002                                    0  *
          *       2003                                    0  *
          *       2004                                    0  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
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*Fiscal    Probable Revenue         Probable        Change in Number of  *
* Year   Gain/(Loss) from New  Savings/(Cost) from State Employees from  *
*                - GR               New - GR              FY 1999        *
*          Dedicated--County    Dedicated--County                        *
*            Airline Fares        Airline Fares                          *
*  2000                $62,974            $(62,974)                  1.5 *
*  2001                 47,894             (47,894)                  1.5 *
*  2002                 47,894             (47,894)                  1.5 *
*  2003                 47,894             (47,894)                  1.5 *
*  2004                 47,894             (47,894)                  1.5 *
**************************************************************************
  
Technology Impact
  
Additional FTEs would require computer equipment and software. These
costs would be offset by fees charged to counties.
  
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
All costs incurred by the General Services Commission would be offset by
fees charged to counties for use of the Commission's airline contracts.

  
  
Methodology
  
County auditors in ten counties were contacted to obtain an annual amount
spent by each county on airfares.  Based on the data obtained, the
estimated average annual airfare expenditures by counties for official
county business is $219,510.  Assuming that 50% of these trips are to
destinations for which the state has contracted fares, and that the
contract discount would equal 50% of the regular coach fare, total
savings achieved would approach $54,878 per county.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
Counties would incur the cost of fees for the General Services
Commission's services, however these costs would be substantially offset
by an estimated annual savings of $54,878 per county.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, TL