LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 21, 2009

TO:	Honorable Dan Branch, Chair, House Committee on Higher Education
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB4189 by Rose (Relating to the conduct of compliance programs by institutions of higher education.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Provisions of the bill would allow institutions of higher education that maintain a compliance program  to establish procedures to provide private access to a compliance office, maintain anonimity of individuals who make a compliance report or partcipate in a compliance investigation, and preserve confidentiality of communications. 

Under the bill, certain information would be confidential if the related individual does not consent to its disclosure. Information produced that would interfere with an ongoing compliance investigation would be excepted from disclosure under Government Code Chapter 552. The information would be available to a law enforcement agency or prosecutor for official purposes.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 758 Texas State University System, 768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 769 University of North Texas System Administration, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 783 University of Houston System Administration

LBB Staff:

JOB, KK, RT, SSh