| TO: | Honorable Bill Callegari, Chair, House Committee on Government Reform |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB633 by King, Phil (Relating to animal control officer training; providing civil and criminal penalties.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code and the Occupations Code as it relates to animal control officer training and provides civil and criminal penalties for violations of the provisions of the bill.
The bill would allow the Department of State Health Services to charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of arranging and conducting an animal control course. The bill would also allow the department to charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of issuing certificates.
The bill would establish a criminal penalty for a person who performs animal control duties without receiving the required training or continuing education and provides for a civil remedy.
Section 2 of the bill would amend the Occupations Code to exempt animal shelter employees who perform euthanasia if the person completes training as prescribes by section 1 of the bill.
Section 3 of the bill would repeal 823.004, Health and Safety Code, effective July 1, 2008, which relates to personnel training for animal shelter personnel.
The department anticipates costs associated with implementing the provisions of the bill; however, this cost estimate assumes that these tasks could be accomplished within existing resources. Additionally, the Comptroller of Public Accounts estimates that the department would set fees to at least cover the revenue loss from the repeal of the old program, and that the bill would have no significant fiscal impact on revenues.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2007, except for the following sections which would take effect July, 1, 2008: 829.002 (training requirements), 829.007 (criminal penalty), and 829.008 (civil remedy), Health and Safety Code, as added by this bill.
Costs to local entities would depend upon the fees charged by the Department of State Health Services for the mandated training and the number of animal control employees sent by a county or municipality to the mandated training.
| Source Agencies: | 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 537 State Health Services, Department of
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, MN, PP, SJ, KJG
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