Honorable Donna Campbell, Chair, Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs & Border Security
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1622 by Uresti (Relating to the creation of a statewide alert system for missing military members.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Government Code to establish a "Camo Alert" program for missing military members who suffer from a mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder or a traumatic brain injury. 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.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2017.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
405 Department of Public Safety, 601 Department of Transportation