LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              April 17, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Patricia Gray, Chair, House Committee on Public
               Health
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB640  by Turner, Sylvester (Relating to the authority of
               the Texas Department of Health regarding sanitation in
               public school restrooms.), Committee Report 1st House,
               Substituted
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated         *
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The Department of Health (TDH) indicates it currently inspects schools
where there are no local health departments, therefore the bill would
have no fiscal impact to TDH.  The Texas Education Agency (TEA) assumes
that all public school restrooms in Texas have running water available,
therefore the agency indicates that no significant cost is anticipated
for local government in implementing the provisions of the bill. Base on
anecdotal information, TEA estimates that the cost of providing running
water in school restrooms that previously were not plumbed for running
water could range from $10,000 to $50,000 per location. Based on a
review of recent school inspection reports from TDH, TEA estimates the
costs of meeting the bill's requirements for hand cleaner and sanitary
method to dry hands could be $200 to $400 per restroom annually to
provide hand cleaner, $250 per restroom to install a paper towel
dispenser, $3,350 per restroom annually to provide paper towels, and
$675 to install an electric hand dryer, with a small increase in
electric utility cost.
  
Local Government Impact
  
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   701   Texas Education Agency, 501   Texas Department
                   of Health,
LBB Staff:         JK, HD, RM