LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 85TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

May 18, 2017

TO:	Honorable J. M. Lozano, Chair, House Committee on Higher Education
FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB803 by Seliger (Relating to a study on the feasibility of requiring certain researchers to make research papers available to the public.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Education Code to direct the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to study the feasibility of requiring researchers to submit to a state agency an electronic copy of each original paper that is accepted for publication by a peer-reviewed journal. The THECB would have to report its findings and any recommendations to the Legislature by December 1, 2018.

The bill would take immediate effect if it receives a two-thirds vote of each house of the Legislature. Otherwise, it would take effect September 1, 2017.

The THECB estimates there would be a minimal cost associated with implementing the provisions of the bill. This analysis assumes that these costs could be reasonably absorbed within the agency's existing resources.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 758 Texas State University System, 768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 769 University of North Texas System Administration, 783 University of Houston System Administration

LBB Staff:

UP, THo, DEH, GO