LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                               May 11, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Teel Bivins, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Education
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB2323  by Gallego (Relating to repayment assistance for
               certain law school loans of persons providing legal
               services to the indigent.), Committee Report 2nd House,
               Substituted
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  HB2323, Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted:  negative impact     *
*  of $(865,780) 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                           $(472,890)  *
          *       2003                            (392,890)  *
          *       2004                            (392,890)  *
          *       2005                            (392,890)  *
          *       2006                            (392,890)  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
**************************************************************************
*Fiscal        Probable             Probable        Change in Number of  *
* Year    Savings/(Cost) from  Savings/(Cost) from State Employees from  *
*        General Revenue Fund General Revenue Fund        FY 2001        *
*         for Loan Repayments  for Administrative                        *
*                0001                 Costs                              *
*                                     0001                               *
*  2002             $(280,000)           $(192,890)                  2.0 *
*  2003              (280,000)            (112,890)                  2.0 *
*  2004              (280,000)            (112,890)                  2.0 *
*  2005              (280,000)            (112,890)                  2.0 *
*  2006              (280,000)            (112,890)                  2.0 *
**************************************************************************
  
Technology Impact
  
Programming would be required for processing applications and vouchers,
an accounting system, a system for monitoring education loan debt and
holders of education loan notes, a system for tracking of attorneys
working for non-profit organizations serving indigents, an imaging
system, and a telecommunications system.
  
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
This bill creates a loan repayment program for lawyers practicing law at
non-profit organizations providing legal assistance to indigents in both
criminal and civil matters.  Loan repayment assistance would not exceed
50 percent of an attorney's outstanding law school debt and attorneys
would not receive payments for more than 10 years.
  
  
Methodology
  
According to information from the State Bar of Texas, 349 attorneys work
for non-profit organizations providing legal services to the indigent.
Nationwide, attorneys have an average education loan debt of $80,000.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) assumes 80 percent,
or 279 of these attorneys have an average education loan debt of
$80,000.  The bill would provide repayment for 50 percent of this amount,
or $40,000.  It is assumed that one-half of these attorneys,
approximately 70, will be retained by non-profit organizations that
receive funds from the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts program and
the basic civil legal services account under Section 51.943 of the
Government Code and that provide legal services to the indigent.  Based
on this methodology, the payment made to each of these 70 attorneys would
be $4,000 per year for a total cost of $280,000 per year in loan
repayments over a ten-year period.  Further, it is assumed that
attrition, recruitment, and retention of lawyers working in non-profit
organizations will keep the number of attorneys participating in the
program at 70.

The THECB also estimates that administrative costs for the program would
be $192,890 in the first year which includes $50,000 for programming
services, $30,000 for equipment, $75,816 in salaries for two part-time
and one full-time employee and $37,074 for other administrative
expenses.  Annual administrative expenses in the next five years would
be $112,890
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   781   Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
LBB Staff:         JK, CT, DB, KC