TO: | Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice |
FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
IN RE: | SB172 by Huffman (Relating to the addition of certain substances to Penalty Groups 1-A and 2 of the Texas Controlled Substances Act for criminal prosecution and other purposes.), As Introduced |
Fiscal Year | Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds |
---|---|
2016 | ($2,379,000) |
2017 | $0 |
2018 | $0 |
2019 | $0 |
2020 | $0 |
Fiscal Year | Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1 |
---|---|
2016 | ($2,379,000) |
2017 | $0 |
2018 | $0 |
2019 | $0 |
2020 | $0 |
The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code as it relates to the addition of certain substances to the list of Penalty Group 1-A and 2 substances in the Texas Controlled Substances Act. Under current law, possession of a Penalty Group 1-A and 2 substances are punishable at various felony levels and punishment is based on the amount of substance possessed.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has indicated the bill would require the agency to purchase new Gas Chromatography Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometers (GS FTIR) necessary for compound identification for each of the thirteen crime laboratories operated by the agency.
This analysis assumes the agency would need to acquire new GS FTIR spectrometers for each of the agency's thirteen drug testing laboratories at a cost of $183,000 per unit. Assuming the agency purchases all thirteen of these spectrometers in fiscal year 2016, the one-time cost in fiscal year 2016 is $2,379,000. It is assumed any ongoing costs associated with operating and maintaining this new equipment can be absorbed within the agency's resources.
This analysis assumes the provisions of the bill related to criminal penalties would not result in a significant impact on state correctional agencies.
Source Agencies: | 405 Department of Public Safety
|
LBB Staff: | UP, KJo, AI, ESi, LM, JAW
|