LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
May 3, 1999
TO: Honorable Jane Nelson, Chair, Senate Committee on Health
Services
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: SB905 by Bernsen (Relating to the standards for
occupational exposure of public employees to bloodborne
pathogens.), As Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* SB905, As Introduced: negative impact of $(4,064,215) 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 $(1,857,573) *
* 2001 (2,206,642) *
* 2002 (2,121,450) *
* 2003 (2,121,450) *
* 2004 (2,121,450) *
****************************************************
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable (Cost) Probable (Cost) Probable Change in *
* Year from General from Estimated Savings from Number of State *
* Revenue Fund Other Estimated Other Employees from *
* 0001 Educational and Educational and FY 1999 *
* General Income General Income *
* Account 770 - Account 770 - *
* GR Dedicated GR Dedicated *
* 0770 0770 *
* 2000 $(1,857,573) $(1,176,112) $2,500 1.5 *
* 2001 (2,206,642) (1,180,606) 2,700 8.8 *
* 2002 (2,121,450) (1,185,373) 2,916 8.8 *
* 2003 (2,121,450) (1,190,434) 3,149 8.8 *
* 2004 (2,121,450) (1,195,808) 3,401 8.8 *
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Fiscal Analysis
The bill would require the Department of Health to establish an exposure
control plan designed to minimize exposure of public employees to
bloodborne pathogens. The Board of Health would be required to require
by rule that a governmental unit implement needleless systems and sharps
with engineered sharps injury protection (needle protection devices) for
employees. The Board of Health would require by rule that information
concerning exposure incidents be recorded in a written or electronic
sharps injury log. The department would be required to compile and
maintain a list of existing needleless systems and needle protection
devices.
Methodology
The General Revenue costs in the table above represent the estimate by
the Department of Health (TDH) of the costs to implement the provisions
of this bill. Most of the costs are associated with the cost to
purchase needleless devices for immunizations delivered to TDH clients
statewide and for needle protected devices purchased by the TDH
laboratory for clinical chemistries and serological tests and distributed
to clinics and contractors statewide. There would also be eight
additional Full-Time Equivalent positions and related costs to coordinate
implementation of an exposure control plan, oversee compliance, and
maintain sharps injury logs.
The University of Texas System, Texas Tech University Health Science
Center, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort
Worth also indicated some additional costs would be incurred in order to
implement the provisions of this bill, primarily in association with the
use of needeless systems and needle protected devices required by the
bill.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth also
estimated a savings associated with the prevention of injuries.
According to the Department of Health, no significant savings would be
realized to the department in association with the implementation of the
provisions of this bill. It is possible that other agencies and units
of government could realize savings in association with the prevention
of injuries in association with the implementation of the provisions of
this bill.
Local Government Impact
The Department of Health estimates that one additional Full-Time
Equivalent Position would be required in each large local health
department to implement the provisions of the bill. Use of the type of
devices specified by the bill is assumed to result in some increased
costs to units of local government. The Department of Health estimates
that this cost would be approximately $9,000 to $50,000 statewide per
year to supply new devices used in treatment of sexually transmitted
diseases and $18,000 to $100,000 statewide per year to supply new devices
to draw blood to perform HIV and syphilis tests.
Source Agencies: 729 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center at Dallas, 405 Department of Public Safety,
763 University of North Texas Health Science
Center at Fort Worth, 720 The University of Texas
System Administration, 723 The University of Texas
Medical Branch at Galveston, 739 Texas Tech
University Health Sciences Center, 709 A&M
University Health Science Center Texas, 501
Department of Health
LBB Staff: JK, TP