LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 80TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 16, 2007

TO:	Honorable Rob Eissler, Chair, House Committee on Public Education
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB7 by Hinojosa (Relating to instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the availability and use of automated external defibrillators at certain school campuses and athletic events, and the creation of a cardiovascular screening pilot program.), As Engrossed

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB7, As Engrossed: a negative impact of ($1,000,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2009.

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
2008	($500,000)
2009	($500,000)
2010	($500,000)
2011	($500,000)
2012	($500,000)

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Savings/(Cost) from GENERAL REVENUE FUND 1
2008	($500,000)
2009	($500,000)
2010	($500,000)
2011	($500,000)
2012	($500,000)

Fiscal Analysis

The bill directs the State Board of Education to include elements related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator as part of the essential knowledge and skills of the health curriculum and to require such instruction beginning with the 2008-2009 school year.  The bill would not require the review and adoption of textbooks until otherwise scheduled under the review and adoption cycle per Section 31.022 Education Code.

 

The bill would direct the commissioner of education to establish a pilot program to administer cardiovascular screenings to sixth grade students at selected campuses.  The bill would require the screening to include an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram.  The bill would authorize the commissioner to adopt rules and accept grants and donations for costs associated with administering the pilot program.  The bill would require the commissioner to submit a report to the legislature summarizing the results of the screenings by January 1, 2009.

Methodology

The Texas Education Agency estimates the cost of the pilot screening program required under the bill to be approximately $500,000 each year.   It is assumed that the cost of pilot program would be borne by the state.  The Agency notes that costs for screenings appear to vary significantly and assumes that at an average cost of $500 per student approximately 1,000 sixth grade students would be screened each year under the program.  However, if the cost per screening were significantly reduced through the loan or donation of scanning equipment and/or scan reading and interpretation services, the number of students receiving screenings could increase.  For example, the Heart Screens for Teens program in Georgia reports a cost per screening of approximately $58 per student.  At a similar cost per student, the pilot program required under this bill would provide screenings to about 2.5% of sixth grade students at the estimated annual program cost of $500,000.

Local Government Impact

The bill requires annual training in the principles and techniques of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) for general staff and volunteers.  It is assumed that this training would not include certification by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.  Districts that do not currently offer this type of training within annual staff development activities could incur additional local cost to comply.  A number of staff in specific roles and students serving as athletic trainers would be required to complete further training each year, including CPR certification.  Because current §33.086 Education Code requires CPR certification for head coaches and sponsors of extracurricular athletic activities, those staff have been excluded from this estimate.  Assuming that 12,000 staff would receive certification training each year to maintain a two-year certification at a cost of $50 per individual, statewide costs to comply would be estimated at $600,000 annually beginning in FY2008.

 

School districts would need to acquire a sufficient number of AED units to comply with the requirement for at least one unit to be available at each campus in the district and at each UIL athletic competition on a school campus.  Although the bill provides some flexibility with regard to the availability of AEDs at athletic practices, it is assumed that many districts would need to obtain multiple AED units to ensure availability during athletic competitions at campuses enrolling students in grades 7-12.  Recent anecdotal evidence suggests that nearly two-thirds of campuses serving students in grades 7-12 have at least one AED unit.  However, less than 20% have multiple units.  It is assumed that as many as 11,200 additional units may be needed to comply with the requirements for athletic competitions and availability for campuses from the middle school through high school levels.  It is assumed that 2,500 units would be needed for elementary campuses to meet the requirement that at least one AED unit be available per campus.  Assuming a $1,500 per unit average cost, one-time costs for equipment purchases would be estimated at about $20.6 million in fiscal year 2008.  Ongoing costs associated with units are assumed to be limited to periodic maintenance and testing and would not be expected to be significant on a statewide basis.

Source Agencies:

701 Central Education Agency

LBB Staff:

JOB, UP, JSp