LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 21, 2009

TO:	Honorable Judith Zaffirini, Chair, Senate Committee on Higher Education
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB954 by Shapiro (Relating to uniform financial aid award notification for students and prospective students of public institutions of higher education.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would implement a recommendation from the report, "Improve Financial Aid Notification at Texas Public Institutions of Higher Education," in the LBB Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report submitted to the Eighty-First Texas Legislature, 2009. 

The bill would amend the Texas Education Code to require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to develop a common financial aid notification form beginning with the 2011-12 academic year. Certain data fields that would be required on this form are specified in the legislation.

The bill would also amend the Texas Education Code to require public institutions of higher education to use this common financial aid notification form, to report all forms of aid on this financial aid notification, and to provide an electronic version of this financial aid form if they do not communicate with students using traditional paper letters.

The THECB indicates it could absorb the costs associated with the bill within its current resources.

The Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas State, and UNT systems indicate that they could absorb the costs associated with the bill within their current resources.

The University of Texas and University of Houston systems estimate there would be a minimal cost associated with implementing the provisions of the bill.

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, JD, GP, GO