LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
April 20, 1999
TO: Honorable Ken Armbrister, Chair, Senate Committee on
Criminal Justice
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: SB1650 by Jackson (Relating to the public notice
requirements applicable to persons who are subject to sex
offender registration.), As Introduced
**************************************************************************
* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* SB1650, As Introduced: negative impact of $(259,076) 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 $(186,697) *
* 2001 (72,379) *
* 2002 (79,904) *
* 2003 (93,886) *
* 2004 (82,865) *
****************************************************
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
**************************************************************************
*Fiscal Probable Probable Revenue Change in Number of *
* Year Savings/(Cost) from Gain/(Loss) from State Employees from *
* General Revenue Fund General Revenue Fund FY 1999 *
* 0001 0001 *
* 2000 $(186,697) $0 1.0 *
* 2001 (130,983) 58,604 2.0 *
* 2002 (180,207) 100,303 3.0 *
* 2003 (223,491) 129,605 4.0 *
* 2004 (310,519) 227,654 5.0 *
**************************************************************************
Technology Impact
Technology impact would consist of microcomputers and associated
equipment for new employees, contract programming to modify the existing
sex offender data base to prepare notifications, and a Data Base
Administrator IV to support the sex offender data base. Technology
costs are estimated at $186,697 for fiscal year 2000, $69,054 for fiscal
year 2001, and $67,105 for subsequent years.
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would establish a Risk Assessment Review Committee to develop a
sex offender screening tool to determine an individual's risk to the
community. The bill would revise public notice requirements for persons
subject to sex offender registration. The bill would mandate that the
Department of Public Safety provide written notice to residents within a
three-block area when a parolee subject to sex offender registration and
assessed to be a danger to the community is released from a penal
institution or intends to move to a new residence. The offender would
be required to pay the Department for all costs incurred in providing
the notification.
Methodology
The notification requirements for the Department of Public Safety would
only apply to offenses that occur on or after January 1, 2000. Contract
programming to modify the existing sex offender data base to prepare
notifications and the hiring of a Data Base Administrator IV to support
the data base would occur during fiscal year 2000 at an estimated cost
of $186,697. Based on sex offender release data from fiscal year 1998,
it is estimated that 104 offenders requiring the revised notification to
residents would be released in fiscal year 2001. The number of releases
estimated to meet the notification requirements would increase to 178 in
fiscal year 2002, 230 in fiscal year 2003, and 404 in fiscal year 2004.
It is estimated that each releasee would move 3 times requiring
additional notifications, that each notification would involve 540
households (36 blocks x 15 households/block), and that each notice would
cost 16.6 cents per household. Four Clerks III would be required for
the mail notifications. Cost recovery would require charging each
parolee $282 for each change of address. Revenue estimates are based on
a 50% success rate in recovering costs.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
Source Agencies: 405 Department of Public Safety, 696 Department
of Criminal Justice
LBB Staff: JK, MD, VS