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LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
April 22, 2025
TO:
Honorable Lois W. Kolkhorst, Chair, Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB128 by Hall (Relating to hospital reporting requirements regarding suspected child abuse, exploitation, or neglect; authorizing an administrative penalty.), As Introduced
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB128, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($1,038,441) through the biennium ending August 31, 2027.
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
2026
($537,905)
2027
($500,536)
2028
($501,367)
2029
($502,058)
2030
($502,763)
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2025
2026
($537,905)
4.0
2027
($500,536)
4.0
2028
($501,367)
4.0
2029
($502,058)
4.0
2030
($502,763)
4.0
Fiscal Analysis
This bill amends the Health and Safety Code to require hospitals to submit monthly reports with certain information related to an alleged or suspected abuse, exploitation, or neglect of a child, to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). HHSC would be required to submit a quarterly report to the Legislature summarizing the content of the newly required monthly reports. This bill authorizes an administrative penalty on a hospital that violates the monthly reporting requirement. This bill would require an administrative penalty to be deposited to the credit of an account in the General Revenue Fund administered by HHSC. This bill would take effect September 1, 2025.
This legislation would do one or more of the following: create or recreate a dedicated account in the General Revenue Fund, create or recreate a special or trust fund either in, with, or outside the Treasury, or create a dedicated revenue source. The fund, account, or revenue dedication included in this bill would be subject to funds consolidation review by the current Legislature.
Methodology
HHSC assumes the agency would collect and review monthly reports submitted by hospitals in this state related to the number of reports the facility made to the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) regarding suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of children. HHSC must submit a quarterly report summarizing the content of the reports submitted by hospitals during the previous quarter to the legislature. This analysis assumes HHSC would require $574,664 from the General Revenue Fund ($574,664 from All Funds) and 1.0 Data Analyst IV, 1.0 Nurse III, 1.0 Program Specialist IV, and 1.0 Program Specialist VI “full-time-equivalents (FTEs)” in fiscal year 2026 and $535,866 from the General Revenue Fund ($535,866 from All Funds) and 1.0 Data Analyst IV, 1.0 Nurse III, 1.0 Program Specialist IV, and 1.0 Program Specialist VI FTEs in fiscal year 2027 to implement the provisions of the bill, which include analytic support for collected date, compliance review of hospitals reports, the implementation, tracking, and enforcement of administrative penalties associated with non-compliance, and other administrative responsibilities as laid out in the provisions of this bill.
Included in the amounts above are $36,578 from the General Revenue Fund ($38,776 from All Funds) in fiscal year 2026 for onetime costs associated with implementing the provisions of this bill.
According to the Comptroller of Public Accounts, the number of violations that would result in administrative penalties and in what amounts is unknown; therefore, the related fiscal impact on the state cannot be estimated.
This analysis assumes that DFPS can implement provisions of this bill within existing agency resources.
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, 530 Family and Protective Services, Department of