LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
February 26, 2001
TO: Honorable Bob Turner, Chair, House Committee on Public
Safety
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: HB507 by Allen (Relating to the issuance by the Texas
Department of Public Safety of special permits
authorizing concealed handgun license holders and other
individuals to carry weapons in certain restricted
areas.), As Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB507, As Introduced: positive impact of $273,872 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. *
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General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2002 $0 *
* 2003 273,872 *
* 2004 12,176 *
* 2005 0 *
* 2006 0 *
****************************************************
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable Revenue Probable Change in Number of *
* Year Gain/(Loss) from Savings/(Cost) from State Employees from *
* Concealed Handgun Concealed Handgun FY 2001 *
* License Account License Account *
* 0991 0991 *
* 2002 $850,275 $(850,275) 15.0 *
* 2003 850,275 (576,403) 14.0 *
* 2004 601,679 (589,503) 14.0 *
* 2005 601,679 (601,679) 14.0 *
* 2006 616,503 (616,503) 14.0 *
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Technology Impact
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) estimates that implementing
provisions of the bill would require additional database programming,
and new computer hardware and software for the new employees. This
would result in a one-time cost of $107,593 in fiscal year 2002.
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would allow DPS to create a special firearms permit that would
authorize a concealed handgun license holder to carry weapons in certain
restricted areas. DPS would set the fee to recover the cost of the
program.
The bill would take effect on September 1, 2001.
Methodology
DPS estimates that 25,580 individuals would apply for the special permit
in fiscal year 2002 and 14,875 would apply in fiscal year 2003 and each
year thereafter. DPS estimates that 15 additional personnel would be
needed to meet the demand in fiscal year 2002, and 14 new personnel in
fiscal year 2003. The additional personnel would be four attorneys (one
placed in each of the four administrative license revocation regions),
four administrative technicians to assist the attorneys, one mail
processing clerk, one administrative technician to perform quality
control, two data entry operators to enter licensee information into the
database, one sergeant to train potential applicants and one word
processor to assist with processing training applications and
registrations. In fiscal year 2002 only, DPS estimates that it would
need a clerk in central cash receiving, but in subsequent years as the
applications level out, this position would no longer be necessary.
Total salaries for these individuals would be $410,980 in fiscal year
2002 and $397,980 in fiscal year 2003. Associated employee benefits
would be $116,225 in fiscal year 2002 and $112,353 in fiscal year 2003.
Operating expenses would be $71,793 in fiscal year 2002 and $66,762 in
subsequent years. In fiscal year 2002, there would be a one time cost of
$19,297 for training the new personnel.
The current handgun licensing program is directed through an
Appropriations Limited to Revenue Collections rider in the General
Appropriations Act. Thus it is estimated that DPS would set any fees
for this program to equal the amount of appropriations and the other
direct and indirect costs related to the program. It is estimated that
the fees would be set to equal the highest expected cost in a two year
period. This results in one year where the revenue generated would
equal the cost, and another year where the revenue generated would
slightly exceed the cost in any two year period.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies: 405 Texas Department of Public Safety
LBB Staff: JK, JC, DG