LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 86TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 9, 2019

TO:
Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
 
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director     Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director
Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB3786 by Coleman (Relating to a study conducted by counties on the effectiveness of establishing a family drug court; establishing a family drug court grant program.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time as the amount and timing of any appropriations, gifts, grants, or donations are unknown.

The bill would amend Government Code, Chapter 122 to require the commissioners court of each county that has not established a family drug court to study the effect the creation of a family drug court would have in the county and this provision would expire January 1, 2021.  The bill would establish the county family drug court fund as a dedicated account in the general revenue fund. The account would consist of appropriations of money to the fund by the legislature and gifts, grants, and donations to the fund. The account would be administered by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). Funding from the account could only be used to award grants to counties to establish or administer a family drug court. In order to receive funding from the account, a county would have to submit the family drug court study to HHSC.

The amount of funding available in the family drug court fund for grants cannot be determined as the amount and timing of any appropriations, gifts, grants, or donations are unknown. The fiscal impact to HHSC is cannot be determined as it is dependent on the amount of funding available to distribute to counties and the number of counties that submit the family drug court study, which are unknown. It is assumed that the Office of  Court Administration and Department of Family and Protective Services can implement the provisions of the bill within existing resources.

This legislation would do one or more of the following: create or recreate a dedicated account in the General Revenue Fund, create or recreate a special or trust fund either in, with, or outside of the Treasury, or create a dedicated revenue source. The fund, account, or revenue dedication included in this bill would be subject to funds consolidation review by the current Legislature. The bill would take effect September 1, 2019.

Local Government Impact

According to Bastrop County, the bill would generate cost savings by reducing jail stays and spending on court-appointed attorneys, but in an amount that cannot be determined at this time. The county anticipates that the cost savings, and any new revenue generated by housing prisoners from other entities in newly open jail beds, would offset the cost of the drug court study and start-up costs for a new drug court.


Source Agencies:
529 Health and Human Services Commission, 212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 530 Family and Protective Services, Department of
LBB Staff:
WP, RD, AF, EP, DA, LCO