Honorable Jane Nelson, Chair, Senate Committee on Finance
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB2124 by Perry (Relating to a pilot program for assisting certain recipients of public benefits with gaining self-sufficiency.), As Introduced
The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time but a cost would be anticipated in fiscal years 2019 and 2020. Insufficient information regarding the scope of the pilot program is available to determine the magnitude of the cost.
The bill would require the Health and Human Services Commission (HSSC), with the assistance of certain other entities including the Texas Workforce Commission and local workforce development boards, to develop and implement a pilot program to assist certain eligible participants with gaining self-sufficiency. The pilot program would be required to operate for at least 12 months but may include additional planning, testing, and data-gathering periods. Upon conclusion of the program, but not later than September 1, 2020, the bill would require HHSC to report to the legislature on the results of the program.
This analysis assumes that HHSC would promulgate program rules and implement necessary technology in fiscal year 2018 and the program would operate in fiscal year 2019 and possibly fiscal year 2020. According to HHSC, there would be one-time technology costs to update the Texas Integrated Eligibility Redesign System (TIERS) and Eligibility Support Technology (EST) systems of $506,000 in fiscal year 2018.
The cost to operate the pilot program in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 cannot be determined but could be significant depending on how it is implemented. The caseload and the provision of services would vary based on the scope of the pilot program, eligibility requirements, services provided, and length of time the program was in operation. Those factors would not be known until planning and development activities took place.
Local Government Impact
The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time. There could be costs to local workforce development boards depending on their level of involvement with developing and operating the pilot program.
Source Agencies:
320 Texas Workforce Commission, 529 Health and Human Services Commission