Honorable Lacey Hull, Chair, House Committee on Human Services
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB215 by Guillen (Relating to the payment of support rights and benefits for a child placed with a relative or other designated caregiver.), As Introduced
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB215, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($319,785) through the biennium ending August 31, 2027.
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five- Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2026
($319,785)
2027
$0
2028
$0
2029
$0
2030
$0
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
Probable Savings/(Cost) from GR Match For Medicaid 758
Probable Savings/(Cost) from Federal Funds 555
2026
($316,935)
($2,850)
($41,755)
2027
$0
$0
$0
2028
$0
$0
$0
2029
$0
$0
$0
2030
$0
$0
$0
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would designate the relative or other designated caregiver as the representative payee for any programs, services, and payment to which the child is entitled or that are paid for the benefit of the child, including Supplemental Security Income benefits.
Methodology
This analysis assumes one-time upgrades to the Information Management Protecting Adults and Children in Texas (IMPACT) system to add functionality to create a new a designee for a relative, make a new relative a designee, and add batch processing to make payments to new designee for the benefits. This analysis assumes no additional FTEs are needed for this purpose.
The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) assumes a loss of approximately $10,615 in benefits each fiscal year for verified kinship care placements for Social Security Administration that DFPS used to offset foster care costs. This analysis assumes those costs can be absorbed within existing appropriations.
It is assumed any costs to the Office of the Attorney General can be absorbed within existing appropriations.
Technology
Technology related costs including the enhancements to the IMPACT system are estimated to be $361,540 in fiscal year 2026.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
302 Office of the Attorney General, 530 Family and Protective Services, Department of