| TO: | Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB2170 by Chavez (Relating to the minimum number of county jailers necessary to staff a county jail.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Local Government Code to require the sheriff or administrator of a county jail to employ at least one county jailer for every 48 inmates housed in the county jail. The county commissioners court would be required to provide sufficient funding for the employment of the required number of jailers.
The Commission on Jail Standards reported that there would be no significant fiscal impact to the agency or to the state for enforcing provisions of the bill.
For this analysis, it is assumed the required ratio would be one jailer per shift for every 48 inmates, rather than one jailer for every 48 inmates per day.
Most of the county sheriff's offices that responded to an inquiry about the fiscal impact to the county jail and the Sheriffs' Association of Texas reported that the Texas Commission on Jail Standards already requires a ratio of one jailer per shift for every 48 inmates housed in the county jail; therefore, there would be no fiscal impact to units of local government unless they are currently not in compliance with Jail Standards or the county jail has a waiver regarding the requirement.
Dallas County reports that to implement the provisions of the bill would require the county to hire an additional 227.7 staff, at a cost of $13 million for salaries, uniforms, and equipment in fiscal year 2010. The costs for subsequent years (salaries only) would be approximately $12.7 million.
| Source Agencies: | 409 Commission on Jail Standards
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, DB
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