Honorable Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor, Senate
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1831 by Buckingham (Relating to an annual report on state programs not funded by appropriations.), As Passed 2nd House
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Government Code to require the Comptroller, not later than December 31 of each year, to submit a report to the Legislature that identifies for each state agency: each program the agency is statutorily required to implement for which no appropriation was made for the preceding state fiscal year, a citation to the law imposing the requirement, and the amount and source of money the agency spent, if any, to implement any portion of the program during the preceding state fiscal year. A state agency would be required to provide the Comptroller the information necessary for the report not later than September 30 of each year. The first report would be required by December 31, 2017.
The bill would require the Comptroller to prepare and submit to the Legislature, not later than December 31, 2017, a report that identifies each entity to be reviewed under the Texas Sunset Act (Chapter 325 of the Government Code) that is not a state agency, does not receive a direct appropriation in the General Appropriation Act, and is required to pay for the cost of the review. The Sunset Advisory Commission would be required to assist the Comptroller in identifying those entities. The Comptroller and the Legislative Budget Board would be required to make recommendations to the Legislature by December 31, 2018 regarding alternate methods of reviewing the performance of the entities identified in the report. Notwithstanding other laws, the entities identified in the Comptroller report would be exempted from Sunset review during the period in which state agencies scheduled to be abolished in 2019 are reviewed. These provisions would expire August 31, 2019.
The bill would take effect immediately upon receipt of a two-thirds vote of all members elected to each house; otherwise, the bill would take effect September 1, 2017.
Sunset Advisory Commission (SAC) costs to implement the provisions of the bill could be accomplished utilizing existing resources. In addition, this analysis assumes the bill would result in an indeterminate savings and offsetting revenue loss in Appropriated Receipts from an unknown number of entities that are required to pay for SAC sunset reviews under current law and which would be exempted from review.
Legislative Budget Board costs to implement the provisions of the bill could be accomplished with existing resources.
The Comptroller indicates that costs to implement the bills provisions could be absorbed within existing resources.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
116 Sunset Advisory Commission, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts