LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 18, 2009

TO:	Honorable Kip Averitt, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB988 by Ellis (Relating to the development of a climate adaptation plan by certain entities.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would require 14 state agencies to each develop and publish a climate adaptation plan every even-numbered year no later than September 1 beginning in 2010. The plan would be required to be made available on the Internet and copies submitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presiding officer of each standing environmental committee, and the executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Each entity’s plan would be required to contain: a climate change vulnerability assessment; a review of existing programs in the context of anticipated climate change; specific steps necessary for entities to fulfill their missions during anticipated climate change; analysis of the identified steps and their budgetary impact during the next two, five, and ten years; potential funding sources; and a statewide strategy to monitor continuing effects of climate change. Each entity would be required to consider the most current assessment report created by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and consult with at least one institution of higher education during development of its report.

Although several of the agencies which provided input into the development of this estimate reported that passage of the bill would require additional resources to develop the climate adaptation plan (including the TCEQ, the Health and Human Services Commission, the Department of Insurance, and the Department of Transportation), this estimate assumes that these costs would not be signficant to the respective agency's budget and could therefore be absorbed using existing resources.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 305 General Land Office and Veterans' Land Board, 308 State Auditor's Office, 405 Department of Public Safety, 454 Department of Insurance, 473 Public Utility Commission of Texas, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 576 Texas Forest Service, 580 Water Development Board, 582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 601 Department of Transportation, 802 Parks and Wildlife Department, 551 Department of Agriculture

LBB Staff:

JOB, TL, WK, ZS, ES, SK