Honorable Florence Shapiro, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1490 by Watson (relating to information that must be provided to the parent of a public school student enrolled in a special education program. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1490, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: an impact of $0 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.
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 Revenue Gain/(Loss) from FED HEALTH ED WELF FD 148
2008
($1,000,000)
2009
$0
2010
($1,000,000)
2011
$0
2012
($1,000,000)
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would require that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) provide routine updates to documents that explain the process for developing an individualized education plan (IEP) for a student who is receiving special education services. Updates would be required within one year of any changes in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and within 180 days of the effective date of any changes in federal regulations or state law or rules governing IDEA that relate to the development or content of an IEP.
TEA would be required to adopt the new document and distribute the document to school districts. School districts would be required to distribute written notice of the availability of the updated document to parents of children enrolled in special education programs and to provide a copy of the document.
Methodology
Based on the cost of a similar update that was conducted in 2003, at a cost of $2 per document, assuming distribution of 500,000 documents, and assuming that an updated document would be produced every other year to reflect changes made to state and federal law, the cost is estimated at $1 million in federal funds in FY2008 and every other subsequent year.
Local Government Impact
School districts would be required to distribute written notice of the availability of the updated document to parents of children enrolled in special education programs and to provide a copy of the document.