LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 4, 2013

TO:	Honorable Troy Fraser, Chair, Senate Committee On Natural Resources
FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB347 by Seliger (Relating to funding for the operations of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission.), As Introduced

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB347, As Introduced: an impact of $0 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	$0
2015	$0
2016	$0
2017	$0
2018	$0

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Revenue Gain/(Loss) from Low-level Waste Acct 88	Probable Revenue Gain/(Loss) from TX Radioactive Waste Disposal 5151
2014	($583,289)	$583,289
2015	$0	$0
2016	$0	$0
2017	$0	$0
2018	$0	$0

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would amend Chapter 401 of the Health and Safety Code, regarding radioactive materials and other sources of radiation, and funding for the operations of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission (LLRWDCC).
 
The bill would amend Section 401.251 to provide that the party state compact waste disposal fee collected under the chapter would be assessed for nonparty compact waste.
 
The bill would require the Comptroller's Office to transfer from the General Revenue-Dedicated Low-Level Waste Account No. 88 to the General Revenue-Dedicated LLRWDCC Account No. 5151 an amount equal to the amount appropriated for that state fiscal year. The bill would require the Comptroller to transfer on September 30th of each fiscal year any unexpended and unencumbered balance in the LLRWDCC Account No. 5151 from the previous fiscal year into the Low-Level Waste Account No. Money in  GR Account 5151 could only be used to support operations of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission.

Methodology

The provision applying the waste disposal fee to nonparty compact waste would reflect current policy, and would have no fiscal impact. 

In the 2012-13 biennium, appropriations for the LLRWDCC were for $583,289 in each fiscal year. This estimate assumes that the same amount would continue to be appropriated in future fiscal years; thus, it is estimated that $583,289 would transfer from the Low-Level Waste Account No. 88 to the LLRWDCC Account No. 5151 in fiscal year 2014 and all future years. This estimate assumes that there would be no unexpended balances in the LLRWCC at the end of fiscal year 2013 because the LLRWDCC will have expended all funds in that account; thus, it is assumed that no funds would transfer from the LLRWDCC Account No. 5151 to the Low-Level Waste Account No. 88 on September 30, 2013. However, beginning in fiscal year 2015, it is assumed that $583,289 would transfer each September 30 from the LLRWDCC Account No. 5151 to the Low-Level Waste Account No. 88. Because the same amount would transfer from one account to the other in fiscal year 2015 and beyond, only the $583,289 transfer in fiscal year 2014 is shown in the table above. Because the bill simply requires funds to be transferred from one General Revenue-Dedicated account to another, the overall fiscal impact of the bill to the state in fiscal year 2014 is neutral.

Local Government Impact

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

Source Agencies:

304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 535 Low-level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission, 582 Commission on Environmental Quality

LBB Staff:

UP, SZ, ZS, TL