LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 82ND LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

May 19, 2011

TO:	Honorable Chris Harris, Chair, Senate Committee on Jurisprudence
FROM:	John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB592 by Pitts (relating to certain counties that are not required to operate a juvenile justice alternative education program.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would exempt certain counties with populations of 125,000 or greater from the requirement that expelled students and students meeting other mandatory placement requirements must be placed in a Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP). The parameters stipulated in the bill appear to identify Johnson, Ellis, Smith, and McClennan counties.

Currently, statute requires counties with populations of 125,000 or greater to operate a JJAEP, and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission allows counties with populations of 72,000 or greater to elect to operate a JJAEP and to receive state funding for mandatory placements. In the 2010-11 biennium, JJAEPs earn state funding of $79 per student per day for mandatory placements.  These funds are transferred from Foundation School Program funds appropriated to the Texas Education Agency.

To the extent that counties with populations between 125,000 and 250,000 meeting the parameters of the bill elect to discontinue operations, savings to the state could accrue.  Savings are not estimated to be significant.

Local Government Impact

Certain counties with populations between 125,000 and 250,000 would no longer be required to operate JJAEPs.  If the affected counties opt not to continue operating JJAEPs, school districts in those counties may be required to serve students who would have otherwise been expelled to a JJAEP.

Source Agencies:

665 Juvenile Probation Commission, 701 Central Education Agency

LBB Staff:

JOB, JT, JGM, JSc, MWU, ESi