Honorable Gary Elkins, Chair, House Committee on Government Transparency & Operation
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3871 by Isaac (Relating to posting of certain financial information of certain political subdivisions on the Internet.), As Introduced
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Local Government Code to require certain political subdivisions to establish and maintain an electronic format for accessing financial information of the political subdivision. The bill would require a political subdivision to post the information on the political subdivision's website. The bill provides requirements for the display and format of certain financial information. The bill would prohibit a political subdivision from charging a fee to access the information.
Local Government Impact
The provisions of the bill would apply to approximately 111 school districts and open-enrollment charter schools with budgets over $100 million. Most school districts and charter schools required to comply with these provisions would be required to either develop software or purchase one or more software products to comply with these provisions. These costs could vary from district to district.
There would be costs to a county or municipality to comply with the provisions of the bill. These costs would depend on the current processes in a local entity and the resources of a county or municipality.
Montgomery County reported there would be costs totaling an estimated $105,820 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 and similar expenses in FY 2017-2020; these costs include an additional staff member and supply costs.