LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 78TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 16, 2003

TO:	Honorable Frank Madla, Chair, Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations
FROM:	John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB1686 by Gallegos (Relating to the training required for a person appointed as a county jailer. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would authorize a county with a population of 500,000 or more to require a person appointed as a county jailer to complete within the first two years of appointment 160 hours of training approved by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE). The 160 hours may include the preparatory training required by TCLEOSE and offered at a school licensed or operated by TCLEOSE. The training hours would not apply to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer working part time as a county jailer.

The bill would take effect September 1, 2003.

TCLEOSE anticipates no fiscal impact to the state unless the agency were to be required to develop the optional training courses. This fiscal anlaysis assumes that the total expense for developing and providing the additional 80 hours of training courses would be incurred by the counties. Based on 2000 census figures, the bill would currently apply to (from lowest to highest population over 500,000) Hidalgo, El Paso, Travis, Bexar, Tarrant, Dallas, and Harris counties.

Officials in Bexar County estimate, if the county were to implement the provisions of the bill, the fiscal impact would be significant, as the county would require additional training officers, classroom space, and an increase in salary expenses to pay for jailers to be working while newer jailers are attending training. Harris County currently provides 134 hours of training for jailers during the first two years of their employment. Harris County estimates that adding 26 hours to the total number of hours of training in the first two years would increase training costs by $30,000 per year.

TCLEOSE provided data that shows the affected counties collectively employ 8,643 county jailers to whom the requirements of the bill would currently affect. Assuming an average salary rate of $10 per hour for the jailer's time in training multiplied times 80 (additional) hours of training, multiplied times the 8,643 county jailers, the aggregate cost in salary/time for the jailers attending the training would be $6,914,400. This does not include costs of trainers, developing training courses, or jailers scheduled to work extra hours while new jailers attend training.

Local Government Impact

If a county were to choose to require an additional 80 hours of training in the first two years for a person who is appointed as a county jailer, the negative fiscal impact would vary by county based on the number of new jailers the county employs and the current training requirements for jailers in their first 24 months of employment.

Source Agencies:	407 Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education
LBB Staff:	JK, DLBa