LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE, 82ND LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION April 6, 2011 TO: Honorable Steve Ogden, Chair, Senate Committee on Finance FROM: John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE:SB1652 by Watson (Relating to the implementation of new technology and new processes for the purposes of budget transparency, fiscal responsibility, and open government.), As Introduced Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1652, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($180,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2013. LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE, 82ND LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION April 6, 2011 TO: Honorable Steve Ogden, Chair, Senate Committee on Finance FROM: John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE:SB1652 by Watson (Relating to the implementation of new technology and new processes for the purposes of budget transparency, fiscal responsibility, and open government.), As Introduced TO: Honorable Steve Ogden, Chair, Senate Committee on Finance FROM: John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE: SB1652 by Watson (Relating to the implementation of new technology and new processes for the purposes of budget transparency, fiscal responsibility, and open government.), As Introduced Honorable Steve Ogden, Chair, Senate Committee on Finance Honorable Steve Ogden, Chair, Senate Committee on Finance John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board SB1652 by Watson (Relating to the implementation of new technology and new processes for the purposes of budget transparency, fiscal responsibility, and open government.), As Introduced SB1652 by Watson (Relating to the implementation of new technology and new processes for the purposes of budget transparency, fiscal responsibility, and open government.), As Introduced Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1652, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($180,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2013. Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1652, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($180,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2013. General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact: Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds 2012 ($180,000) 2013 $0 2014 $0 2015 $0 2016 $0 2012 ($180,000) 2013 $0 2014 $0 2015 $0 2016 $0 All Funds, Five-Year Impact: Fiscal Year Probable (Cost) fromGeneral Revenue Fund1 2012 ($180,000) 2013 2014 2015 2016 Fiscal Year Probable (Cost) fromGeneral Revenue Fund1 2012 ($180,000) 2013 2014 2015 2016 2012 ($180,000) 2013 2014 2015 2016 Fiscal Analysis The bill would amend several sections of the Government Code related to the development of state budgets and the publication of related documentation, including: requiring the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) to include certain information about authorized fees in the general appropriations bill; requiring the LBB to post budget development documentation on the agency website; requiring the Comptroller of Public Accounts to publish data related to revenue from fees; amending procedures related to the Cash Management Committee; and requiring all state agencies and institutions of higher education to publish high-value data sets on agency and institution websites. The bill would take immediate effect upon receiving two-thirds votes of all members in each house; otherwise the bill would take effect September 1, 2011. Section 2, Budget Database, would have a fiscal impact on the LBB and require an appropriation in order to be implemented. It is assumed that all other provisions of the bill could be implemented within existing resources. The bill would amend several sections of the Government Code related to the development of state budgets and the publication of related documentation, including: requiring the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) to include certain information about authorized fees in the general appropriations bill; requiring the LBB to post budget development documentation on the agency website; requiring the Comptroller of Public Accounts to publish data related to revenue from fees; amending procedures related to the Cash Management Committee; and requiring all state agencies and institutions of higher education to publish high-value data sets on agency and institution websites. The bill would take immediate effect upon receiving two-thirds votes of all members in each house; otherwise the bill would take effect September 1, 2011. Section 2, Budget Database, would have a fiscal impact on the LBB and require an appropriation in order to be implemented. It is assumed that all other provisions of the bill could be implemented within existing resources. Methodology This analysis estimates that 2,400 hours would be necessary to develop, test and publish the budget database. At $75 per hour, the cost would total $180,000. This analysis assumes that all work necessary to implement the database would occur in FY 2012 and that subsequent maintenance and support of the database would be provided by existing staff. Approximately one third of the hours and costs associated with this provision are related to the requirement that information contained in the database be raw data in open standard format. Providing data in an alternate format would cost less and potentially provide greater accessibility to the general public. This analysis estimates that 2,400 hours would be necessary to develop, test and publish the budget database. At $75 per hour, the cost would total $180,000. This analysis assumes that all work necessary to implement the database would occur in FY 2012 and that subsequent maintenance and support of the database would be provided by existing staff. Approximately one third of the hours and costs associated with this provision are related to the requirement that information contained in the database be raw data in open standard format. Providing data in an alternate format would cost less and potentially provide greater accessibility to the general public. Technology The bill's provisions requiring a budget database would require significant information technology development and testing by the LBB. The bill's provisions related to high-value data sets, which would affect all state agencies and institutions of higher education, would require minimal changes to existing information technologies and therefore would not have a significant fiscal impact. Local Government Impact No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. Source Agencies: 302 Office of the Attorney General, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 313 Department of Information Resources, 513 Funeral Service Commission, 720 The University of Texas System Administration 302 Office of the Attorney General, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 313 Department of Information Resources, 513 Funeral Service Commission, 720 The University of Texas System Administration LBB Staff: JOB, KK, PP, KY JOB, KK, PP, KY