LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 15, 2009

TO:	Honorable Jim McReynolds, Chair, House Committee on Corrections
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB138 by Gonzalez Toureilles (Relating to a salary career ladder for correctional officers.), As Introduced

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB138, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($34,727,898) through the biennium ending August 31, 2011.

General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2010	($17,363,949)
2011	($17,363,949)
2012	($17,363,949)
2013	($17,363,949)
2014	($17,363,949)

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2010	($17,363,949)
2011	($17,363,949)
2012	($17,363,949)
2013	($17,363,949)
2014	($17,363,949)

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would amend the Government Code by requiring the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to extend the career ladder for correctional officers and provide for correctional officer salary increases based on the officer’s classification and years of service with TDCJ. The bill extends the existing correctional officer career ladder to include a correctional officer VI position.

Methodology

The Department of Criminal Justice estimates the correctional officer salary increases to be $17.4 million annually. The salary increase would include a 4% increase to correctional officers with over ten years of service and would include the necessary salary adjustments to ranking correctional officers to avoid salary compression issues.  Approximately 10,000 correctional officers would receive a salary increase of $1,385 annually.

The bill would take effect September 1, 2009.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

696 Department of Criminal Justice

LBB Staff:

JOB, ESi, GG, SDO