LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
April 23, 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.), Committee Report 1st House,
Substituted
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* SB1650, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: negative impact *
* of $(390,791) 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:
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* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2000 $(244,664) *
* 2001 (146,127) *
* 2002 (164,567) *
* 2003 (186,219) *
* 2004 (200,863) *
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All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*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 $(356,984) $112,320 4.0 *
* 2001 (301,711) 155,584 5.0 *
* 2002 (350,935) 186,368 6.0 *
* 2003 (394,219) 208,000 7.0 *
* 2004 (481,247) 280,384 8.0 *
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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 or
select a sex offender screening tool to assess an individual's risk to
the community. The bill would revise public notice requirements for
persons subject to sex offender registration. The bill would direct the
Department of Public Safety to provide written notice to residents
within a three-block area for parolees and individuals placed on
community supervision or juvenile probation for a sex offense subject to
registration who are assessed to be a danger to the community (level
one). Notifications would be required when the individual is released
from a penal institution, placed on community supervision or juvenile
probation, or moves to a new address. The offender would be required to
pay the Department for all costs incurred in providing the
notifications.
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. It is estimated that there are approximately 1,900
individuals convicted of a sex offense requiring registration in Texas
per year, that 43% of these individuals are placed on community
supervision or probation, and that 33% of these individuals would be
assessed as level one and require resident notification. This estimate
yields 270 individuals per year placed on community supervision or
juvenile probation requiring notifications. Based on sex offender
release data for 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 parole 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 parolee or individual placed on community supervision or juvenile
probation 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. Seven Clerks III would be required for the mail
notifications. Three would be hired in fiscal year 2000 and one
additional clerk would be hired in each of the subsequent 4 years. Cost
recovery would require charging each offender $208 for each round of
notifications. 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
LBB Staff: JK, MD, VS