| TO: | Honorable Charlie Geren, Chair, House Committee on House Administration |
| FROM: | John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB2131 by Geren (Relating to the issuance of a pass for expedited access to the State Capitol.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Government Code to require the Department of Public Safety (DPS) allow expedited access to the Capitol through a Capitol access pass. The access pass would function in the same manner as a concealed handgun license currently functions with regard to expedited Capitol access. The bill would require DPS to establish a procedure in which persons may apply for the Capitol access pass. The Capitol access pass must require the same background checks conducted on applicants for concealed handgun licenses. The bill would take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote of all the members in each house. Otherwise, the bill would take effect September 1, 2011.
The bill would result in an indeterminate revenue gain to the state because it is unknown how many persons would acquire a Capitol access pass. Applicants would be required to pay a total of $44.20 for the Capitol access pass. $15.00 would provide for a Texas background check, $19.25 would provide for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (national) background check, and $9.95 would be paid by the applicant directly to the fingerprint acquisition vendor that contracts with DPS. The $15.00 paid for the Texas background check and the $19.25 paid for the FBI would be deposited in the General Revenue Fund. However, only $2.00 of the amount paid for the FBI check would remain in the General Revenue fund; $17.25 of the $19.25 paid would be paid to the FBI from the General Revenue fund. Therefore, if 1,000 persons acquired a Capitol access pass, the net gain to General Revenue would be $17,000 (($15.00+$2.00)*1,000 = $17,000).
| Source Agencies: | 405 Department of Public Safety
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, SD, ESi
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