LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                               May 24, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Bill Ratliff, Lieutenant Governor,  Senate
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB19  by Nelson (Relating to the improvement of
               children's health through daily physical activity in
               public schools and a coordinated approach by public
               schools to prevent obesity and certain diseases.), As
               Passed 2nd House
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
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Local Government Impact
  
The bill as amended would require school districts to implement a
coordinated health program in each elementary school beginning with the
2001-2002 school year and would require each district to obtain training
to implement the program from regional education service centers by
September 1, 2007.  School districts would be required to establish a
local school health education advisory council to replace the currently
required local advisory council for the purpose of making recommendations
concurring the district's health education program.

School districts that have not already purchased the CATCH program would
incur costs associated with purchasing the program in order to meet the
bill's requirement that the program be implemented in each school
district beginning with the 2001-2002 school year.  The Texas Education
Agency does not maintain data by which to predict the number of school
districts that would need to obtain the CATCH program.  It is believed
that some districts have already implemented the program.  If districts
were required only to purchase one copy of the program at $200 in order
to implement the program, the maximum potential cost statewide would be
just over $200,000.  However, if school districts would have to purchase
the program for each campus, costs would be substantially higher as there
are over 4,000 elementary campuses statewide.

Because the bill as amended requires the implementation of a coordinated
health program in all elementary schools beginning with the 2001-2002
school year, it is assumed that school districts would seek training
concerning the implementation as soon as possible.  Assuming that on
average training for two individuals per district would be purchased from
education service centers at a cost per person of about $500, the cost
statewide to school districts would be approximately $1.0 million.  It is
assumed that these costs would be incurred mainly during fiscal year
2002.

Because local advisory councils similar to the local health council
required under this bill already exist and are substantively the same as
those required under this bill, no new costs to school districts are
anticipated to meet this provision in the amended bill.
  
  
Source Agencies:   701   Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff:         JK, CT, PF