Honorable Four Price, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2619 by Giddings (Relating to a grant program administered by the governor's criminal justice division to implement practices to maintain peace officers' mental health.), As Introduced
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB2619, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($800,000) 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
($300,000)
2019
($500,000)
2020
($500,000)
2021
($500,000)
2022
($500,000)
Fiscal Year
Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2018
($300,000)
2019
($500,000)
2020
($500,000)
2021
($500,000)
2022
($500,000)
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would amend Government Code relating to a grant program administered by the governor's criminal justice division to implement practices to maintain peace officers' mental health.
The bill would require the Criminal Justice Division (CJD) in the Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the Governor to establish and administer a grant program for law enforcement agencies to apply for grants to implement practices designed to maintain the mental health of police officers. The bill would require CJD to evaluate and compare the practices implemented by grant recipients to determine the most successful. The bill allows CJD to contract with a third party to conduct the evaluations. The bill requires CJD to biennially report the results and performance of the grant program.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2017.
Methodology
The Office of the Governor estimates a cost of $50,000 in General Revenue in fiscal year 2018 for initial program design, implementation, and contracting with a third party to conduct programmatic evidence-based evaluations as allowed under Section 772.0073(e).
Once the grant program is established, the Office of the Governor anticipates using $250,000 of General Revenue in fiscal year 2018 for grants to law enforcement agencies in a pilot program to evaluate most successful practices. The amount available for awards will increase to $500,000 each subsequent fiscal year.
According to the Office of the Governor, if the peace officer mental health program is eligible, federal funds will be used to augment or replace General Revenue as a funding source.
Local Government Impact
According to the Texas Association of Counties, the fiscal impact to counties to implement the provisions of the bill is not anticipated to be significant.
Source Agencies:
300 Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the Governor, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts