LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
March 6, 2001
TO: Honorable Pat Haggerty, Chair, House Committee on
Corrections
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: HB1649 by Gallego (Relating to the organization and
duties of the Board of Pardons and Paroles.), As
Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB1649, As Introduced: negative impact of $(256,560) 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 $(102,624) *
* 2003 (153,936) *
* 2004 (153,936) *
* 2005 (153,936) *
* 2006 (153,936) *
****************************************************
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable Savings/(Cost) from Change in Number of State *
* Year General Revenue Fund Employees from FY 2001 *
* 0001 *
* 2002 $(102,624) 6.0 *
* 2003 (153,936) 6.0 *
* 2004 (153,936) 6.0 *
* 2005 (153,936) 6.0 *
* 2006 (153,936) 6.0 *
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Fiscal Analysis
The bill would reduce the Board of Pardons and Paroles from 18 to 6
members and would eliminate the Board of Pardons and Paroles Policy
Board. Responsibilities of the Policy Board would be transferred to the
Board of Pardons and Paroles. The bill would create a group of eighteen
parole commissioner positions that would be employed and supervised by
the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Parole commissioners would act in
parole panels composed of three commissioners each. Parole commissioners
would be responsible for releases on parole, conditions of parole or
mandatory supervision, releases from supervision and reporting, and
revocation of parole or mandatory supervision for inmates for whom
eligibility is established by Section 508.145 (e) or (f), Government
Code.
The bill would take effect January 1, 2002.
Methodology
The bill would eliminate costs for 12 parole board members who currently
receive salaries of $80,000 per year. With benefits of 28.28 percent,
the total estimated savings are $1,231,488. The salary classification
of parole commissioners is not specified in the legislation. For the
purposes of this analysis, parole commissioners are assumed to be in a
lower salary classification than members of the Board of Pardons and
Paroles since they will not be responsible for policy and will be making
decisions for less severe cases. Assuming an average annual salary of
$60,000 and benefits at 28.28%, the annual cost for parole commissioners
would equal $1,385,424. The net impact would be $153,936 per year.
Since the bill would not take effect until January 1, 2002, only
two-thirds of the annual fiscal impact is included in the first year.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
Source Agencies: 356 Texas Ethics Commission, 696 Texas Department
of Criminal Justice
LBB Staff: JK, JC, VS