LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 84TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
May 25, 2015

TO:
Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB786 by Walle (Relating to the right of a public employee to express breast milk in the workplace.), As Passed 2nd House

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

This bill would specify that a public employee in Texas is entitled to express breast milk at the employee's place of work. The bill would require a public employer to provide certain accommodations for employees to express breast milk and would prohibit a public employer from discriminating against an employee for expressing breast milk at work. It is assumed that costs associated with implementing provisions of the bill would not be significant and could be absorbed using existing resources.

Local Government Impact

According to Texas Association of Counties (TAC), many counties have already implemented measures consistent with the provisions of the bill. However, TAC reported that counties which don't currently have policies for nursing mothers may see a significant fiscal impact from the bill. According to Texas Municipal League, the fiscal impact to municipalities to implement the provisions of the bill is not anticipated to be significant.

School districts that do not already accommodate employees expressing breast milk may experience some administrative costs. Administrative costs would vary depending on whether the facility already had a suitable location for expressing breast milk. There would also be administrative costs to school districts to accommodate reasonable breaks each time an employee needed to express breast milk.


Source Agencies:
302 Office of the Attorney General, 303 Facilities Commission, 405 Department of Public Safety, 537 State Health Services, Department of, 539 Aging and Disability Services, Department of, 580 Water Development Board, 601 Department of Transportation, 696 Department of Criminal Justice, 701 Central Education Agency
LBB Staff:
UP, CL, JJ, THo, TBo, JN, TL, JBi, KVe