| TO: | Honorable Harold V. Dutton, Jr., Chair, House Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Issues |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB221 by Lucio (Relating to birth records of adopted children.), As Engrossed |
| Fiscal Year | Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds |
|---|---|
| 2008 | $0 |
| 2009 | $0 |
| 2010 | $0 |
| 2011 | $0 |
| 2012 | $0 |
| Fiscal Year | Probable (Cost) from VITAL STATISTICS ACCOUNT 19 |
Probable Revenue Gain from VITAL STATISTICS ACCOUNT 19 |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ($328,769) | $0 |
| 2009 | ($166,299) | $325,000 |
| 2010 | ($161,314) | $162,500 |
| 2011 | ($161,314) | $162,500 |
| 2012 | ($160,964) | $162,500 |
| Fiscal Year | Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2007 |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 2.0 |
| 2009 | 3.0 |
| 2010 | 3.0 |
| 2011 | 3.0 |
| 2012 | 3.0 |
When authorized, the bill would require the state registrar to provide a noncertified copy of a birth certificate, a contact preference form, an updated medical history, and/or intermediary contact information to an adopted person upon request. The bill would require the Department of State Health Services to make available contact preference forms and updated medical history forms on its website and would authorize a birth parent to file these forms with the state registrar. The bill would require the state registrar to collect intermediary contact information, when applicable, from birth parents and to provide this information to adopted persons. The bill would authorize the state registrar to charge adopted persons a reasonable fee for certain services provided under the bill.
The bill would require the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), licensed child-placing agencies, or an entity placing a child for adoption to inform birth parents of the provisions of the bill, to provide birth parents with contact preference forms, and to forward completed contact preference forms to the state registrar. DFPS indicates there would not be a fiscal impact to the agency to implement the requirements of the bill.
The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) indicates a need for 2 additional Full-Time-Equivalent (FTE) positions in fiscal year 2008 and 3 FTEs in fiscal years 2009-2012 to implement the requirements of the bill, which include processing certain birth certificate requests and contact preference and updated medical history forms. Salaries, benefits, and other administrative costs for the additional FTEs total $118,464 in fiscal year 2008, $157,779 in fiscal year 2009, $152,794 in fiscal years 2010-2011, and $152,444 in fiscal year 2012. It is assumed these costs would be paid from General Revenue-Dedicated Account 19, Vital Statistics.
DSHS indicates it would charge a fee of $65 per request for a birth certificate copy. The department estimates 5,000 requests in fiscal year 2009 and 2,500 requests in each subsequent fiscal year for an estimated revenue gain of $325,000 in fiscal year 2009 and $162,500 in each subsequent fiscal year. No revenue is assumed in fiscal year 2008 because the bill prohibits the state registrar from issuing a noncertified copy of an original birth certificate before January 1, 2009. It is assumed the revenue would be deposited in General Revenue-Dedicated Account 19, Vital Statistics.
| Source Agencies: | 537 State Health Services, Department of, 530 Family and Protective Services, Department of
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, MN, PP, SSt
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