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LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 88TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
April 18, 2023
TO:
Honorable Victoria Neave Criado, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB622 by Shaheen (Relating to the publication of required notice by a political subdivision by alternative media.), As Introduced
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB622, As Introduced : a negative impact of ($440,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2025.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five- Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2024
($364,000)
2025
($76,000)
2026
($76,000)
2027
($76,000)
2028
($76,000)
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2023
2024
($364,000)
1.0
2025
($76,000)
1.0
2026
($76,000)
1.0
2027
($76,000)
1.0
2028
($76,000)
1.0
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would authorize a political subdivision to provide notice by alternative media other than a newspaper and on the websites maintained by the political subdivision and the Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) if certain media circulation conditions are met. A political subdivision that provides notice using alternative media would be required to submit certain information to the CPA. The CPA would qualify and publish submitted notice on the CPA website or, otherwise, provide a written determination requiring publication by newspaper. The CPA could grant a waiver from web publication if Internet access is limited in the political subdivision.
The bill would require CPA to submit a report regarding the effectiveness of alternative methods of notice publication to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House of Representatives on or before the last day of each even-numbered calendar year prior to 2027.
Methodology
According to the CPA, the agency would need to hire one Program Specialist III to implement the provisions of the bill. The CPA would have to review waivers received from local governments that cannot meet the requirement to post on their website or the CPA's website due to limited internet access. The CPA would have to determine whether the alternative media circulation would suffice, and if it would also be required of the political subdivision to publish the notice by newspaper.
This analysis assumes costs associated with preparation of the biennial report for the legislature that would identify and compare the effectiveness of different methods of notice publications used by the political subdivisions could be absorbed using existing resources.
Technology
CPA estimates a one-time cost in fiscal year 2024 of $288,000 for 1,920 software programming hours to modify impacted systems.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.