LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 1, 2013

TO:	Honorable Richard Peña Raymond, Chair, House Committee on Human Services
FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB3400 by Raymond (Relating to certain anonymous reports of suspected child abuse or neglect.), As Introduced

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB3400, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($915,775) through the biennium ending August 31, 2015.

The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2014	($915,775)
2015	$0
2016	$0
2017	$0
2018	$0

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1	Probable Savings/(Cost) from GR Match For Medicaid 758	Probable Savings/(Cost) from Federal Funds 555
2014	($901,725)	($14,050)	($112,973)
2015	$0	$0	$0
2016	$0	$0	$0
2017	$0	$0	$0
2018	$0	$0	$0

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would amend the Family Code to require that certain entities develop a system that allows certain individuals to make an anonymous report of suspected child abuse or neglect. The bill specifies that the reporting system developed must provide the reporting professional with a unique number or other identifier that the professional can use as verification of their report.

Methodology

The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) reports that investigation or corroboration of any additional anonymous reporting resulting from the bill could be handled within existing resources. However, DFPS reports that the bill's requirement to provide a unique identifier would require modifications of four technology systems.

Law enforcement agencies without a process for attaching unique identifying information to anonymous reports may face an additional workload resulting from the bill. However, this analysis assumes that the cost to implement the bill's provisions would not be significant and could be accomplished with existing resources.

Technology

The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) estimates that modification of their Information Management Protecting Adults and Children in Texas (IMPACT) system, the DFPS Public and Provider website, the Child Care Licensing and Automated Support System (CLASS), and the mobile CLASSmate program would result in nonrecurring one-time programming costs of $1,028,568.  DFPS estimates that the necessary changes would require approximately 10,030 programming hours at the cost of $102.55 an hour.

Local Government Impact

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

Source Agencies:

212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 530 Family and Protective Services, Department of

LBB Staff:

UP, CL, MB, AM, VJC