Honorable Geanie W. Morrison, Chair, House Committee on Transportation
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3950 by Gonzales, Larry (Relating to motor vehicle accident reports.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Transportation Code relating to motor vehicle accident reports.
The bill would amend Chapter 550 of the Transportation Code to require local law enforcement agencies to submit crash reports to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) electronically, effective September 1, 2019. The bill would repeal the requirement for vehicle operators to submit crash reports to TxDOT. The bill would take effect on September 1, 2017.
Based on the analysis of TxDOT, it is assumed the provisions of the bill requiring the electronic submission of crash reports from law enforcement agencies would result in an annual savings to the State Highway Fund (SHF) of approximately $1,025,000 beginning in fiscal year 2020 for contract data entry services and the costs of one full-time-equivalent (FTE) in current staff time needed to process paper reports. Also based on the analysis of TxDOT, it is assumed elimination of the vehicle operator's crash report would reduce the need for staff resources equivalent to 1.0 FTE, resulting in annual savings to the SHF of approximately $46,000 beginning in fiscal year 2018. It is assumed any SHF savings resulting from these provisions of the bill would be reallocated to other highway safety programs and projects within TxDOT.
Based on the analysis of TxDOT, it is assumed any costs or duties associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be absorbed within the agency's existing resources.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.