LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 79TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 14, 2005

TO:	Honorable Dianne White Delisi, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB378 by Talton (Relating to an exemption from the fee for a birth or death record requested by a law enforcement agency, a child fatality review team, or the child fatality review team committee.), As Introduced

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB378, As Introduced: an impact of $0 through the biennium ending August 31, 2007.

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
2006	$0
2007	$0
2008	$0
2009	$0
2010	$0

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable (Cost) from VITAL STATISTICS ACCOUNT 19	Probable Revenue Gain/(Loss) from VITAL STATISTICS ACCOUNT 19
2006	($344,948)	($555,835)
2007	($3,448)	($555,835)
2008	($3,448)	($555,835)
2009	($3,448)	($555,835)
2010	($3,448)	($555,835)

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would result in a loss of revenue (General Revenue-Dedicated) for fees currently charged for birth and death records.  The Department of State Health Services anticipates incurring costs for implementation of the provisions of the bill.

Methodology

The Department of State Health Services estimates that implementation of the bill would result in costs to the agency for training of local registration offices, watermark paper for non-certified copies of records and technology costs for software modifications and website updates.  One-time implementation costs are $341,500 in 2006.  On-going costs are for watermark paper, estimated to be $3,448 in each year (10 cents per page).

DSHS estimates the bill would result in the issuance of 20 percent of certified birth and death certificates (abstracted versions) to the entities that would be exempted from the bill.  DSHS also estimates a decrease of 20 percent in revenue generated from local rebates for remote access sales of birth certificates.  The total estimated loss in revenue to the Vital Statistics account would be $555,835 in each year.

Technology

Technology costs are included in the estimate for 2006.  Technology costs would be for software modifications ($280,000) and contract programming for website updates (40,000).

Local Government Impact

The bill could result in a loss in revenue for the sale of birth and death records in local registration offices.

Source Agencies:

529 Health and Human Services Commission, 537 Department of State Health Services

LBB Staff:

JOB, CL, PP, BW