FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATURE 2nd CALLED SESSION 2025
August 26, 2025
TO:
Honorable Charles Perry, Chair, Senate Committee on Disaster Preparedness & Flooding, Select
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1 by Darby (Relating to youth camp and campground emergency preparedness; authorizing civil and other penalties; making appropriations.), As Engrossed
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB1, As Engrossed: a positive impact of $2,594,265 through the biennium ending August 31, 2027.
Appropriations:
Fiscal Year
Appropriation out of General Revenue Fund 1
Appropriation out of Economic Stabilization Fund 599
2026
$0
$2,594,265
2027
$2,484,726
$0
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five- Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2026
$2,594,265
2027
$0
2028
$0
2029
$0
2030
$0
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
Probable Revenue Gain/(Loss) from General Revenue Fund 1
Probable Savings/(Cost) from Economic Stabilization Fund 599
Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2025
2026
$0
$2,594,265
($2,594,265)
16.0
2027
($2,484,726)
$2,484,726
$0
16.0
2028
($2,484,726)
$2,484,726
$0
16.0
2029
($2,484,726)
$2,484,726
$0
16.0
2030
($2,484,726)
$2,484,726
$0
16.0
Fiscal Analysis
Among other provisions, the bill would prohibit the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) from issuing or renewing a youth camp license for a youth camp that operates one or more cabins located within a floodplain as defined by the bill. The bill would provide for the required notice to DSHS for modification of resident youth camp property, structures, or activities and would require safe access to youth camps. The bill would expand youth camp health and safety standards set by rule of the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).
The bill would require youth camps to develop and implement written emergency plans that meet minimum standards set by HHSC executive commissioner rule and would require those plans to be submitted to DSHS for review and approval. A resident youth camp operator would not be required to submit the plan to DSHS until May 1, 2026. The bill would require DSHS to investigate each parental complaint of a camp's noncompliance with provisions concerning youth camp safety that is filed with the agency and would require such an investigation to include an inspection.
The bill would create the Resident Youth Camp Safety Multidisciplinary Team within DSHS to develop proposed minimum standards for resident youth camps and would authorize the Attorney General to impose a civil penalty against a resident youth camp operator who violates the bill's youth camp safety provisions or a related rule in an amount not to exceed $1,000 for each violation. The civil penalty would be remitted to DSHS to offset agency administrative costs. The bill would also authorize the Attorney General to recover reasonable expenses incurred in bringing such an action.
Finally, the bill would appropriate the amount of $2,594,265 from the Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) for use during the two-year period beginning on the bill's effective date, and the amount of $2,484,726 from the General Revenue Fund (GR) for use during fiscal year 2027 to DSHS to implement the bill's provisions. The bill would require DSHS to adjust the amount DSHS sets for youth camp license fees as necessary to recover the costs of these appropriations. The bill would authorize DSHS to use $500,000 in capital budget authority for the appropriations during the 2026-27 biennium.
Methodology
The above tables reflect total appropriations made in the bill.
According to DSHS, the agency would need 16.0 additional full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions to implement the provisions of the bill: 10.0 Sanitarian IIs, 1.0 Sanitarian IV, and 5.0 Emergency Management Program Coordinator IIIs. The agency reports that all additional FTEs would require standard office setups and that the 10.0 Sanitarians IIs would need a dedicated vehicle at an estimated cost of $50,000 each and $8,000 travel budgets to support travel related to youth camp inspections. 4.0 Emergency Management Program Coordinator IIIs would also need $8,000 travel budgets. Total costs would be $2,594,265 in fiscal year and $2,484,726 each year thereafter.
According to the Comptroller of Public Accounts, the appropriation from the ESF would take place on or after September 1, 2025, and any impact on interest or investment earnings within the ESF would be negligible. The Comptroller assumes there would be an increase to General Revenue in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 as a result of increased youth camp fee collections, as would be required by the bill. The Comptroller's analysis assumes DSHS would recover the entire amount of the ESF appropriation in fiscal year 2026, and that of the General Revenue appropriation in fiscal year 2027; as a result, there would be a gain to General Revenue in fiscal year 2026 and net zero impact to General Revenue in fiscal year 2027.
Additionally, according to the Comptroller, while creating a new civil penalty and allowing the Attorney General to recover reasonable expenses could result in an increase in revenue, the extent to which resident youth camp operators would violate the bill's requirements and the amount of the subsequent assessment for those violations is not known and cannot be estimated. This analysis assumes any related revenue gain would be insignificant.
Technology
According to DSHS, the additional FTEs would need software licenses at a cost of $22,880 in fiscal year 2026 and $11,296 each year thereafter.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 537 State Health Services, Department of