Honorable Richard Peña Raymond, Chair, House Committee on Human Services
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2335 by Miller (Relating to requiring evidence-based trauma training for certain attorneys, court-appointed volunteer advocates, child-care workers, and child protective services employees.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB2335, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($45,628,997) through the biennium ending August 31, 2019.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
Fiscal Year
Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2018
($40,104,500)
2019
($5,524,497)
2020
($5,524,497)
2021
($5,524,497)
2022
($5,524,497)
Fiscal Year
Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
Probable Savings/(Cost) from Federal Funds 555
2018
($40,104,500)
($4,456,056)
2019
($5,524,497)
($613,833)
2020
($5,524,497)
($613,833)
2021
($5,524,497)
($613,833)
2022
($5,524,497)
($613,833)
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would amend the Family Code and the Human Resources Code relating to requiring evidence-based trauma training for certain attorney's, court-appointed volunteer advocates, child-care workers, and child protective services employees.
The bill would require certain ad litem attorneys, court-appointed advocates, residential child-care facility workers, and all Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) child protective services (CPS) employees to complete evidence-based trauma training, including instruction regarding practical application of the training.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2017.
Methodology
The bill is estimated to result in a net cost of $44.6 million in All Funds in fiscal year 2018, and $6.1 million in All Funds each subsequent fiscal year.
The analysis assumes that the current trauma training provided by DFPS does not meet the bill's evidence-based training requirement and that the agency would implement the Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) model beginning in fiscal year 2018 for their CPS employees.
According to the agency, the cost to train using the TBRI model at $3,500 per employee would total $36.1 million in All Funds in fiscal year 2018 to train the 10,328 existing CPS staff, and an additional $5.8 million beginning in fiscal year 2018 to train the estimated 1,650 annual new hires. DFPS also assumes that 30 percent of trainees would incur travel costs of $734 for accommodations, food, and mileage.
Based on information provided by the Office of Court Administration and the Health and Human Services Commission, it is assumed that any costs associated with implementing the provisions of the bill at their agency could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources.
Local Government Impact
According to DFPS, there could be a cost to the counties related to training Texas Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteers.
Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 530 Family and Protective Services, Department of