Honorable Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1756 by Taylor, Van (Relating to the issuance of driver's licenses and personal identification certificates and the classification and operation of certain vehicles; authorizing a fee. ), Conference Committee Report
Any costs associated with implementing the bill would depend on the number of counties entering into an agreement with DPS to permit county employees to provide services at a county office relating to the issuance of renewal and duplicate driver's licenses, election identification certificates and personal identification certificates. The upper limit of cost would entail all 254 Texas counties entering into an agreement with DPS, resulting in a cost of $5,300,472 in fiscal year 2016 and $2,261,616 in each following fiscal year. The costs would decrease to the degree fewer counties opt to enter into an agreement with DPS.
The bill would amend the Transportation Code to authorize the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to enter into an agreement with a county to permit county employees to provide services at a county office relating to the issuance of renewal and duplicate driver's licenses, election identification certificates and personal identification certificates.
DPS states that should the agency choose to enter into an agreement with a commissioner's court of a county, DPS would be required to provide all equipment, supplies and network connectivity in order to perform such services. DPS estimates the one-time costs per county at $20,868 and recurring costs at $8,904 annually for the first workstation in any county. Subsequent work stations at the same location would not require the initial one-time costs.
DPS does not have an estimate of how many counties would participate. However, were all 254 Texas counties to enter into an agreement with DPS, there would be a cost of $5,300,472 in fiscal year 2016 (254 x $20,868) and $2,261,616 in each following fiscal year (254 x $8,904). The costs would decrease to the degree fewer counties opt to enter into an agreement with DPS.
Local Government Impact
It is assumed a county would enter into an agreement with DPS only if it possessed the required resources to support the county portion of the agreement.
Source Agencies:
405 Department of Public Safety, 608 Department of Motor Vehicles