LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

May 17, 2013

TO:	Honorable David Dewhurst, Lieutenant Governor, Senate
FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB1556 by Seliger (Relating to the establishment of a school safety certification program and the School Safety Task Force. ), As Passed 2nd House

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill establishes the School Safety Task Force (task force). The duties of the task force would include studying, on an ongoing basis, best practices for school multihazard emergency operations planning and based on these studies, make recommendations to the legislature, the Texas School Safety Center (center), and the governor's office of homeland security. The bill would require to the task force to submit a report to the legislature not later than September 1 of each even-numbered years, the results of the most recent study, including any recommendations for statutory changes the task force considers necessary or appropriate to improve school multihazard emergency operations. Certain provisions of the bill would expire on September 1, 2017.

Under provisions of the bill, the center, in consultation with the task force, would develop a school safety certification program. The center would award school safety certificates to school districts that meet certain criteria as specified by the bill including a multihazard emergency operations plan and drill requirments. Provisions of the bill would be implemented within existing resources.

Local Government Impact

School districts could incur additional administrative costs related to the school safety certification program, although seeking certification would be optional and costs would vary.

Source Agencies:

405 Department of Public Safety, 701 Central Education Agency, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 758 Texas State University System

LBB Staff:

UP, ESi, SK, GO, AH