LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              March 24, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Eddie Lucio, Chair, Senate Committee on Border
               Affairs
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB1284 by Lucio (Relating to the creation and oversight
               of a colonia ombudsman program in certain economically
               distressed areas.), As Introduced
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  SB1284, As Introduced:  negative impact of $(300,000) 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                           $(150,000)  *
          *       2001                            (150,000)  *
          *       2002                            (150,000)  *
          *       2003                            (150,000)  *
          *       2004                            (150,000)  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
         *****************************************************
         * Fiscal Year      Probable Savings/(Cost) from      *
         *                      General Revenue Fund          *
         *                              0001                  *
         *      2000                               $(150,000) *
         *      2001                                (150,000) *
         *      2002                                (150,000) *
         *      2003                                (150,000) *
         *      2004                                (150,000) *
         *****************************************************
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The bill would require the appointment of a colonia ombudsman in each of
the six border counties with the largest colonia population.  The bill
would require the state and the counties that have a colonia ombudsman
to evenly divide the cost of operating the colonia ombudsman program.
  
  
Methodology
  
The Secretary of State assumes that each of the six colonia ombudsmen
would be paid a salary of $40,000 annually.  The state's share of that
cost would be $20,000 per ombudsman per year.  The Secretary of State
estimates that incidental operating costs associated with the colonia
ombudsman program would total $10,000 per ombudsman per year.  The
state's share of the operating costs would be $5,000 per ombudsman per
year.  Thus, the state's total cost would be $25,000 per year for each
of the six ombudsman which is a total of $150,000 per year.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
The bill would require each of the six counties to pay half the cost of
the ombudsman for that county.  Based upon the Secretary of State's
estimates, the cost would be $25,000 per year for each county.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, DE, SG