With the limitation placed on the amount of funds allowed to be spent, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice would only be able to install a portion of the required climate control systems necessary to comply with the provisions of the bill. Therefore, the fiscal impact cannot be determined.
The bill requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to install climate control systems throughout each of the facilities they operate and maintain a temperature in each not less than 65 degrees and not more than 85 degrees. The bill requires TDCJ to install these climate control systems in three phases, each consisting of approximately one-third of the agency's facilities, and caps the cost of each phase of construction to $100.0 million.
According to TDCJ, the cost to install climate control systems in only the inmate housing areas is estimated to total $1,323.3 million, with ongoing maintenance and utility costs of $23.3 million per fiscal year. This cost estimate excludes the non-housing areas identified in the bill, as the agency does not have a cost estimate for these areas at this time.
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.