| TO: | Honorable Leticia Van de Putte, Chair, Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs & Military Installations |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB363 by Van de Putte (Relating to protecting certain members of the Texas National Guard from exposure to depleted uranium. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
| Fiscal Year | Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds |
|---|---|
| 2008 | ($20,000) |
| 2009 | ($20,000) |
| 2010 | $0 |
| 2011 | $0 |
| 2012 | $0 |
| Fiscal Year | Probable Savings/(Cost) from GENERAL REVENUE FUND 1 |
Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2007 |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ($20,000) | 0.5 |
| 2009 | ($20,000) | 0.5 |
| 2010 | $0 | 0.0 |
| 2011 | $0 | 0.0 |
| 2012 | $0 | 0.0 |
The bill would amend the Government Code by requiring the Adjutant General’s Department (AGD) and the Texas Veterans Commission to assist an eligible member of the Texas National Guard to obtain federal government treatment services, including a medically qualified screening test for an eligible member who has been assigned a risk level I, II, or III for depleted uranium exposure by the member’s branch of service or is referred by a military physician, or has reason to believe that the member was exposed to depleted uranium during military service. The bill defines military physician, eligible member, medically qualified screening test, and depleted uranium. The bill further states that the AGD shall report in writing no later than December 1, 2008 to the legislature, primarily those committees with primary jurisdiction over military and veterans matters with the scope and adequacy of training received by members of the national guard on detecting whether their service is likely to entail, or to have entailed, exposure to depleted uranium. The report must include an assessment of the feasibility and cost of adding pre-deployment training concerning potential exposure to depleted uranium and other toxic chemical substances and precautions recommended while in a combat zone.
The AGD estimates that the implementation of the bill would cost approximately $40,000 for 6 months (for the cost of one temporary FTE, a military preventative medicine officer, which includes salary and administrative assistance for a 6 month period).
The Texas Veterans Commission has estimated that the costs associated with implementing the bill are not anticipated to be significant.
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JOB, ES, GG, SDO
|