LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
March 30, 2001
TO: Honorable Florence Shapiro, Chair, Senate Committee on
State Affairs
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: SB608 by Van de Putte (Relating to compensation for
services rendered at a polling place by election
officers.), As Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* SB608, As Introduced: negative impact of $(2,500,441) 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 Impact:
****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2002 $(2,500,441) *
* 2003 0 *
* 2004 (2,500,441) *
* 2005 0 *
* 2006 (2,500,441) *
****************************************************
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
*****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Savings/(Cost) from *
* General Revenue Fund *
* 0001 *
* 2002 $(2,500,441) *
* 2003 0 *
* 2004 (2,500,441) *
* 2005 0 *
* 2006 (2,500,441) *
*****************************************************
Technology Impact
None
Fiscal Analysis
The provisions of the bill would amend Section 32.091(a) of the Code to
raise the maximum compensation of elections judges and clerks to
$7.50/hr. It would also add Section 32.091(c), which states that the
amount paid to election officials by entities other than the county may
not exceed the compensation fixed for an election ordered by the governor
or county authority in the county in which the political subdivision is
located.
Section 2 of the bill adds Section 173.008(e) to the Code. Under this
new section, election officials in a primary must be paid at least the
normal county rate, when the primary is run by the county under an
election services contract.
Methodology
According to the Secretary of State's Office, the difference of $7.50
minus $5.15 (currently paid to primary poll workers) equals $2.35.
The Number of election day workers is 77,521. Number of hours worked by
each election day worker is 14.
($2.35 x 77,521 x 14 = $2,500,440.90).
Local Government Impact
The Texas Association of Election Administrators and the counties of
Bexar, Ector, Midland, and Victoria were contacted regarding the local
fiscal impact of the provisions of the bill. It is anticipated that the
counties' election costs would increase from 10 percent to 26 percent
for each election, depending on the size of the county, the county's
current pay scale, and whether or not the county would raise their
judges' and clerks' compensation to the maximum level.
Source Agencies: 307 Secretary of State
LBB Staff: JK, RB, SK, DB