LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session April 16, 1999 TO: Honorable Ken Armbrister, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE: SB1774 by Zaffirini (Relating to the suspension of a person's driver's license following the person's arrest for certain intoxication offenses and to certain procedures related to that suspension.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted ************************************************************************** * Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for * * SB1774, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: positive impact * * of $1,791,016 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 $645,753 * * 2001 1,145,263 * * 2002 1,145,263 * * 2003 1,145,263 * * 2004 1,145,263 * **************************************************** 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 $(1,015,287) $1,661,040 9.0 * * 2001 (515,777) 1,661,040 9.0 * * 2002 (515,777) 1,661,040 9.0 * * 2003 (515,777) 1,661,040 9.0 * * 2004 (515,777) 1,661,040 9.0 * ************************************************************************** Technology Impact The technology impact for the bill is estimated to be $604,223 in FY2000 and $193,295 for each year thereafter. Fiscal Analysis The bill would amend the Transportation Code to extend the periods of suspension for the offense of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). Failure of a breath test with one or more previous alcohol or drug-related offenses within a ten year period from the point of arrest (up from 5 years under current law), would result in an extended suspension period of one year. Refusal to take a breath test would result in an extended suspension period of one year. The bill would require the arresting officer in a DWI case to send to the custody of DPS additional information pertaining to the details of the arrest. The bill would also increases the cost of an occupational license issued to a person suspended for DWI or ALR related circumstances from $10 to $250. Methodology The Department's Information Management Service (IMS) would incur an estimated $422,400 in costs to provide programming for a new database to track the status of licenses that are forwarded to DPS; to ensure data exchange capability between the new database and the Driver's License Host System; and to account for the new driver's license suspension periods. IMS would need two additional programmers and one database administrator to assist in carrying out these functions. The Department's Safety Responsibility Bureau (SRB) would be required to receive, store and evaluate the status on an estimated 100,000 driver's licenses each year that DPS would receive from law enforcement officers. SRB would need 6 employees plus an estimated $162,402 in capital and operating expenses to handle the additional workload. The bill would generate revenue. The bill would raise the price for an occupational license from $10 to $250. It is expected that the increased suspension periods of the bill would bring about additional occupational license requests so that those licensees could continue to drive for essential purposes. This increase would likely be somewhat offset by the number of potential occupational license applicants that would chose not to apply for the license as a result of its increased price. Assuming that the same number of applicants would apply for the license (6,921) as in 1997, it is estimated that the state would receive $1,661,040, annually. 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