LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 86TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

May 19, 2019

TO:	Honorable Lois W. Kolkhorst, Chair, Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
FROM:	John McGeady, Assistant Director     Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB3703 by Klick (Relating to the prescription of low-THC cannabis for medical use by certain qualified physicians to patients with certain medical conditions.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would expand the Compassionate Use Program by adding Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), autism, terminal cancer, and incurable neurodegenerative diseases to the list of medical conditions for which a physician may prescribe low-THC cannabis to a patient. The bill would prohibit the Department of Public Safety (DPS) from publishing the name of a physician registered in the department's Compassionate Use Registry unless permission is expressly granted by the physician.

The Texas Medical Board indicate that the provisions of the bill could be absorbed using existing resources.

DPS would incur costs related to licensing additional dispensing organizations under the Compassionate Use Program and making updates to its Compassionate Use Registry Application. However, Health and Safety Code, Section 487.052, requires the agency to set fees for the program at a level that is sufficient to cover the cost of its administration, so there would be no fiscal impact to the State.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 405 Department of Public Safety, 503 Texas Medical Board, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 537 State Health Services, Department of, 701 Texas Education Agency, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 769 University of North Texas System Administration

LBB Staff:

WP, AKi, JQ, BH, AMa