LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 78TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 7, 2003

TO:	Honorable Leticia Van de Putte, Chair, Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs & Military Installations
FROM:	John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB81 by Zaffirini (Relating to making a military discharge record recorded with the county clerk a confidential document.), As Introduced

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend Section 192.002, Local Government Code, to make military discharge records recorded with a county clerk confidential and available for review only by the person to whom the record applies. The bill would take effect immediately if approved by a two-thirds vote of all members of both houses; otherwise, it would take effect September 1, 2003.

Local Government Impact

A sampling of county clerks in counties of differing populations and budgets indicated that there would be costs associated with implementing provisions of the bill. The Red River County Clerk's Office reported that the bill would have a negative impact of $20,000 on their county. Red River County has a population of 14,314.

The Tarrant County Clerk's Office (county population of over 1.4 million) estimated it would incur $150,000 in costs for software changes and an annual storage cost of $888 to safekeep the military discharge books in a secure area.

The Harris County Clerk's Office (county population of over 3.4 million and a budget of approximately $970 million) estimated it would have to hire two deputy clerks at a combined annual salary of $50,532 (not including benefits) to monitor microfilm usage and to ensure that the records would not be released to the public. There also would be a $5,000 software fee and an $11,000 charge for new microfilm.

The Williamson County Clerk's Office (county population of 249,967) stated that they would experience a one-time expense for software changes.

Counties estimate they would incur costs associated with making the military discharge records confidential. The costs would vary by county. Initial costs, such as those required for changing software, would be significant, but annual costs would be insignificant in most counties.

Source Agencies:	304 Comptroller Of Public Accounts
LBB Staff:	JK, WK, DLBa