Honorable Victoria Neave Criado, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1487 by Gerdes (Relating to the creation of a rural county law enforcement grant program.), As Introduced
The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to costs being dependent upon the amount appropriated to the program, the number of applicants, and the number of grantees.
The bill would amend the Government Code to establish a Rural County Law Enforcement Agency Grant Program to defray personnel, training, and equipment costs for sheriff's offices and constable's offices of a county with a population of less than 125,000.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census Data there are 218 Texas counties that meet the definition of a Rural County Law Enforcement Agency, as defined in Section 772.0079 of the Government Code. While it is unknown how much funding may be appropriated to support this grant program, it can be assumed that most eligible agencies would seek funding, including the sheriff's department and any constable's offices within these counties. This may place the number of grants within this program from anywhere between 200 to 300.
According to the Office of the Governor, it is estimated that additional staffing resources would be needed to fulfill the provisions of the bill.
Local Government Impact
The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time.
Source Agencies:
300 Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the Governor