COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH

OVERSIGHT DIVISION

FISCAL NOTE

L.R. No.:         3291-02

Bill No.:          Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed HCS for SB 733

Subject:           Crime and Punishment; Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies; Department of Public Safety

Type:              Original

Date:               May 27, 2008

Bill Summary:            The proposal requires crime laboratories providing reports or testimony to a state court pertaining to a result of the forensic analysis of evidence to be accredited or provisionally accredited by a laboratory accrediting organization approved by the Department of Public Safety.

FISCAL SUMMARY

Numbers within parentheses: ( ) indicate costs or losses.

This fiscal note contains 5 pages.

☐ Estimated Total Net Effect on All funds expected to exceed $100,000 savings or (cost).

☐ Estimated Net Effect on General Revenue Fund expected to exceed $100,000 (cost).

FISCAL ANALYSIS

ASSUMPTION

Officials from the Department of Public Safety – Director’s Office and the – Missouri State Highway Patrol assume the proposal would have no fiscal impact on their agencies.

Officials from the Office of State Courts Administrator assume the proposed legislation would have no fiscal impact on the courts.

Officials from the Office of the Secretary of State (SOS) assume many bills considered by the General Assembly include provisions allowing or requiring agencies to submit rules and regulations to implement the act. The SOS is provided with core funding to handle a certain amount of normal activity resulting from each year’s legislative session. The fiscal impact for this proposal for Administrative Rules is less than $2,500. The SOS recognizes this is a small amount and does not expect additional funding would be required to meet these costs. However, SOS also recognizes that many such bills may be passed in a given year and that collectively the costs may be in excess of what the SOS can sustain with their core budget. Any additional required funding would be handled through the budget process.

Officials from the Independence Crime Lab assume they would incur costs of upgrading the current labs to meet the ASCLAD standards. Officials assume the fiscal impact would be substantial.

Oversight assumes local crime laboratories could choose to become accredited. Oversight assumes crime labs choosing to become accredited would incur increased costs to upgrade the lab to meet accreditation standards. Oversight has reflected the costs of meeting accreditation standards as $0 or (Unknown) because the crime labs would not be required to meet accreditation standards. Oversight assumes crime laboratories could utilize funding through the Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund to defray costs associated with applying for and maintaining accreditation.

Officials from the Kansas City Police Department did not respond to Oversight’s request for fiscal impact.

FISCAL IMPACT - Small Business

No direct fiscal impact to small businesses would be expected as a result of this proposal.

FISCAL DESCRIPTION

The proposed legislation requires crime laboratories providing reports or testimony to a state court pertaining to a result of the forensic analysis of evidence to be accredited by a laboratory accrediting organization approved by the Department of Public Safety. The proposal does not apply to testimony, results, or evidence of forensic analysis produced by a crime laboratory before December 31, 2012.

This legislation is not federally mandated, would not duplicate any other program and would not require additional capital improvements or rental space.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Office of State Courts Administrator

Department of Public Safety

            – Director’s Office

            – Missouri State Highway Patrol

Office of the Secretary of State

Independence Crime Lab

NOT RESPONDING

Kansas City Police Department

                                                                                                Mickey Wilson, CPA

                                                                                                Director

                                                                                                May 27, 2008