LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              March 23, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Tom Ramsay, Chair, House Committee on County
               Affairs
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB164  by Olivo (Relating to the authority of counties to
               regulate outdoor lighting near major astronomical
               observatories.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
  
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*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
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The bill would authorize counties within 57 miles of the McDonald
Observatory or within five miles of the George Observatory or of the
Stephen F. Austin State University Observatory, upon request from the
observatory director, to adopt orders regulating the installation and
use of outdoor lighting in any unincorporated territory of the county. A
county within any of those distances from the named observatories would
also be authorized to adopt orders establishing standards relating to
proposed subdivisions in order to minimize interference with observatory
activities caused by outdoor lighting.
  
Local Government Impact
  
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, DB