Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2639 by Pickett (Relating to an alert for a missing senior citizen or person with Alzheimer's disease.), As Passed 2nd House
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Government Code to include persons with Alzheimer's disease in the state's Silver Alert program.
The bill would also amend the Government Code to establish a "Camo Alert" program for certain missing military members. The new alert program would place the same requirements on both the Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Transportation that exist for the Amber, Silver, and Blue Alert programs. It is assumed that implementing the provisions of the bill could be absorbed within existing resources.
The Texas Department of Transportation, after communicating with the Federal Highway Administration, does not anticipate that the federal agency would consider the bill's "Camo Alert" program to be out of compliance with the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, so long as the "Camo Alert" program includes provisions to ensure that the messages are transportation related; clear; concise; and easily understood. Further, the program would need to include provisions requiring confirmation of a person meeting the "Camo Alert" criteria.
It is assumed the costs to implement the provisions of the bill could be absorbed in existing resources.
The bill would take effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house. Otherwise, the bill would take effect September 1, 2017.
Local Government Impact
The San Antonio Police Department anticipates no fiscal implication under the provisions of the bill.
Source Agencies:
300 Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the Governor, 405 Department of Public Safety, 458 Alcoholic Beverage Commission, 601 Department of Transportation