LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session April 20, 2001 TO: Honorable Mike Moncrief, Chair, Senate Committee on Health & Human Services FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE: HB957 by Burnam (Relating to fees for food service establishment permits.), As Engrossed ************************************************************************** * No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. * ************************************************************************** Local Government Impact The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code to allow county or public health districts to adopt a variable scale to determine the fee charged for health permits and permit renewals for certain food service establishments and businesses, not to exceed $300. The bill would set guidelines on which the fee scale should be structured. If a sliding fee scale is not in place, permit fees issued could not exceed $150. The fee charged to a child care facility would continue to be limited to no more than $150. The Act would take effect on September 1, 2001 and would apply only to permits issued or renewed on or after that date. Current law places a cap of $150 or the highest fee charged by a municipality in the county or public health district, whichever is less, for the fees that a county or public health district may charge for permits and permit renewal. According to information gathered from the Texas Association of Local Health Officials through a survey of ten member districts or counties, on average, health districts issue or renew 610 permits per year (much higher in large and highly populated areas and much lower in small and thinly populated areas). The fees currently charged by the districts and counties surveyed average $140 per permit, with some districts and counties charging as low as $45, while others charge up to $300. If a county or public health district chooses to implement a sliding fee scale, the county or district could experience no change in current revenue or an increase of up to $160 per permit. The change would depend on how many establishments fall into each fee category on the scale. If the county or district does not implement a sliding scale, those entities currently charging up to $300, based on the highest fee charged by a municipality in the county or public health district, would lose up to $150 per permit. Source Agencies: LBB Staff: JK, HD, DB