| TO: | Honorable Steve Ogden, Chair, Senate Committee on Infrastructure Development and Security |
| FROM: | John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB399 by Van de Putte (Relating to the powers and duties of the governor and certain state agencies relating to public health, including public health emergencies.), As Introduced |
The bill relates to the powers and duties of the governor and certain state agencies relating to public health, including public health emergencies. The bill would authorize the Governor, in consultation with the Commissioner of Public Health, to declare a Public Health Emergency. The bill extends the authority of the Department of Health and various other agencies to set in place various controls to plan, coordinate and manage a public health emergency.
Under the provisions of the bill, the Department of Health (TDH) would assume the responsibility of revising the existing public health emergency plan; would create and issue ID badges for use only by state and local government personnel; as well as other responsibilities. TDH indicates that implementing the provisions of the bill would have no significant fiscal impact. It is assumed that any cost the agency would incur associated with implementing the bill's provisions would be absorb within the agency's existing resources.
The Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, Department of Human Services, Health and Human Services Commission and Board of Pharmacy indicate that their agencies would not incur fiscal impact resulting from the implementation of the bill.
Costs to local governments to implement the bill would include personnel costs to prepare emergency plans prior to an actual emergency and to satisfy reporting requirements during an actual emergency.
The South Plains Public Health District in Brownwood estimated that the preparation of the emergency plan would require a minimum of 500 man-hours of a senior level nurse or similar public health worker. Wages would be approximately $26.40 per hour, resulting in a cost of $13,200 to create the plan.
The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported that to implement the bill would result in additional personnel costs of approximately $75,000 for coordinators to prepare an emergency plan.
The El Paso City-County Health and Environmental District reported a cost of $228,447 in salaries, equipment, and operating expenses to implement the bill in fiscal year 2004. For fiscal years 2005 through 2007, the costs are estimated at $130,710 per fiscal year.
| Source Agencies: | 324 Department Of Human Services, 501 Department Of Health, 515 Board Of Pharmacy, 529 Health And Human Services Commission, 578 Board Of Veterinary Medical Examiners
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| LBB Staff: | JK, RR, KF, RM, KG
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