LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                            February 18, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Elliott Naishtat, Chair, House Committee on
               Human Services
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB477  by Naishtat (Relating to the establishment of an
               interagency plan for coordinating case management
               services for certain recipients of financial
               assistance.), As Introduced
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  HB477, As Introduced:  negative impact of $(2,200,022) through the    *
*  biennium ending August 31, 2003.                                      *
*                                                                        *
*  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 Net Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2002                         $(1,234,349)  *
          *       2003                            (965,673)  *
          *       2004                            (937,560)  *
          *       2005                            (872,350)  *
          *       2006                            (849,825)  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
***************************************************************************
*Fiscal      Probable        Probable        Probable       Change in     *
* Year    Savings/(Cost)  Savings/(Cost)  Savings/(Cost) Number of State  *
*          from General   from GR Match    from Federal   Employees from  *
*          Revenue Fund    for Medicaid  Funds - Federal     FY 2001      *
*              0001            0758            0555                       *
*  2002        $(860,234)      $(374,115)      $(851,622)            28.0 *
*  2003         (667,924)       (297,749)       (573,144)            43.0 *
*  2004         (648,479)       (289,081)       (543,876)            44.0 *
*  2005         (603,376)       (268,974)       (498,158)            41.0 *
*  2006         (587,796)       (262,029)       (481,185)            40.0 *
***************************************************************************
  
Given the limited availability of TANF federal funds, for the purposes of
this fiscal note, General Revenue is assumed as the Method of Financing.
Should additional TANF federal funding be available, $259,572 in FY2002
and $200,749 in FY2003 in General Revenue costs assumed above could be
financed with TANF federal funding.
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The bill would require the Department of Human Service (DHS) and the
Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)  to develop an interagency plan to
identify and coordinate services for Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) recipients with high barriers to employment. The bill
requires DHS and TWC to develop an Memorandum of Understanding that must
be approved by Health and Human Services Commission. Establishment of
guidelines for a coordinated interagency case management plan that would
assist with identification of and coordination of services to hard to
serve TANF recipients would be required. If a workforce development area
has not established a local workforce development board, local DHS and
TWC offices would be required to implement the coordinated case
management plan. The bill requires implementation occur no later than
January 1, 2002.
  
  
Methodology
  
DHS indicated that identification of the hard-to-serve population would
be required and an assessment of TANF caretakers would need to occur to
identify those with significant barriers to employment. The cost of the
personal needs assessment was based on an assumption that DHS staff
would conduct the needs assessment to identify TANF recipients with
barriers, determine resources, and make referrals. The agency assumed
that barrier identification would occur at complete review. In addition,
DHS assumed that 50 percent of the cases with a complete review will
require a personal needs assessment and that five percent of the cases
assessed/referred would become employed and leave the rolls an average
of three months earlier than if the assessment/referral was not
conducted.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   529   Health and Human Services Commission, 324
                   Texas Department of Human Services, 320   Texas
                   Workforce Commission
LBB Staff:         JK, HD, ML