LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 80TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 9, 2007

TO:	Honorable Jerry Madden, Chair, House Committee on Corrections
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB2990 by Madden (Relating to use of certain electronic monitoring technology in certain correctional facilities by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.), As Introduced

The probable impact of the bill cannot be determined due to the unavailability of information related to future prison construction.  For each new prison facility built after September 1, 2007, it is anticipated that the cost of equipping the unit with a radio frequency identification electronic monitoring system would cost $3.0 million, with an annual maintenance cost of $200,000. 

The bill would amend the Government Code by requiring the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to include in the design of any correctional facility construction that begins after September 1, 2007 a radio frequency identification electronic monitoring system to effectively and efficiently monitor the physical location and safety of inmates housed by the department in the facility, employees of the department working in the facility, all third-party vendors or other contractors who work in the facility, and visitors who are granted access to the facility to which only employees are normally admitted. The bill states that TDCJ may retrofit any correctional facility in which the construction began before September 1, 2007 to use a radio frequency identification electronic monitoring system for the same purposes stated above.

 

Based on reviews of prison electronic monitoring systems in California, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio, TDCJ estimates that the purchase price for an electronic monitoring system for a facility constructed after September 1, 2007 would be approximately $3.0 million, with an annual maintenance cost of $200,000. The actual cost would depend on the size of the correctional facility, inmate population, and number of employees. The above cost does not include renovation costs to retrofit existing facilities with an electronic monitoring system.  The fiscal impact of the bill would depend on the number of prison facilities constructed after September 1, 2007, the number of which is unknown at this time. 

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

696 Department of Criminal Justice

LBB Staff:

JOB, ES, GG, SDO