83(R) SB 59 - House Committee Report version

The bill would amend multiple statutes to modify or eliminate certain required reports prepared by state agencies and institutions of higher education that are filed with the office of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, members of the Legislature and other state entities. The bill amends various statutes including the Texas Agriculture, Criminal Procedure, Education, Family, Government, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Insurance, Labor, Natural Resources, Occupations, Transportation, Water and Utilities Codes to modify various reporting requirements prepared by state agencies and institutions of higher education. The bill also repeals 37 provisions in Texas statute requiring the filing of various reports.

The bill would also require a municipality with a population of more than 50,000, and a county with more than 50 operating traffic-control signals, to submit a report on the status of the current traffic-control signal system and primary arterial street operation by September 1, 2014. The report would include various performance, measurement and management data as described in the bill.

This bill would have a positive but not significant fiscal impact to the state. As the process each agency uses to produce its statutorily required reports is unique, quantifying the staff time saved, printing costs, and storage costs saved by eliminating unnecessary reports cannot be quantified. Eliminating reports assessed as unnecessary is unlikely to lead to reductions in staff, but eliminating superfluous reporting requirements would enable an increase in agency productivity.

There could be costs to applicable municipalities and counties required to prepare and submit a report on the status of the current traffic-control system; however, the amounts would vary depending on current procedures.

The City of Irving reported estimated costs totaling $425,000 in fiscal year 2014 that would include salaries and benefits for six new employees ($325,000); travel time data license ($50,000); and additional traffic counts ($50,000). Irving has a population of 216,000 and the city's affected department current fiscal year budget is $3.5 million.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


May 5, 2013

TO:	Honorable Linda Harper-Brown, Chair, House Committee on Government Efficiency & Reform

FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	SB59 by Nelson (Relating to required reports and other documents prepared by state agencies and institutions of higher education.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted