Colorado Legislative Council Staff
STATE
REVISED FISCAL NOTE
(Replaces Fiscal Note dated January 29, 1998)
General Fund Expenditure Impact
Drafting Number: Prime Sponsor(s): |
LLS 98-722 Sen. Tanner Rep. Chavez |
Date: Bill Status: Fiscal Analyst: |
February 19, 1998 Senate Appropriations Steve Tammeus (866-2756) |
TITLE: CONCERNING THE STUDY OF THE PROVISION OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, AND MAKING AN APPROPRIATION THEREFOR.
Summary of Legislation
STATE FISCAL IMPACT SUMMARY |
FY 1998/99 |
FY 1999/2000 |
State Revenues General Fund Other Fund |
|
|
State Expenditures General Fund Other Fund |
$2,925,791 |
|
FTE Position Change |
Contracted Services |
None |
Local Government Impact — None |
This bill, as amended by the Senate Local Government Committee (Senate Journal, February 6, 1998, pages 180-182), requires the Department of Human Services to conduct a study of the provision of youth development services funded by the state, the effectiveness of such services, the costs associated with such services, and the comparative costs of committing juvenile delinquents in order to properly evaluate the appropriateness of funding such services. The bill also requires the department to study the costs associated with the commitment of juvenile delinquents through the Division of Youth Corrections.
The bill requires the department and the State Auditor to work cooperatively in fulfilling the provisions of this bill as well as the provisions of Section 2-3-112, C.R.S., regarding programmatic reviews and evaluations of state funded prevention and intervention programs for children and families.
The bill requires the department to submit a report to the General Assembly and the Judiciary Committees of the House and the Senate by December 1, 1998. The report content shall consist of:
• identification of the youth development services funded in full or in part by the state;
• the effectiveness of the service in preventing crime or violence, and in developing positive attributes;
• the number of youths served by each service;
• the cost associated with each service;
• the cost of committing and incarcerating youths adjudicated pursuant to the “Colorado Juvenile Justice System” of the “Colorado Children’s Code”; and
• a comparison of the costs of the youth development services and the incarceration of youths adjudicated pursuant to the “Colorado Juvenile Justice System”.
The bill allows the department to access all records and information related to the persons served by the youth development services being studied. The department is required to maintain the confidential nature of the information used for the study.
The bill provides an unspecified General Fund appropriation to the department for FY 1998-99 to accomplish the study. The provisions of the amended bill are to be repealed effective June 30, 1999. The bill will become effective upon the signature of the Governor.
This amended bill will affect state General Fund expenditures. Therefore, the bill is assessed as having a state fiscal impact.
State Expenditures
The provisions of this amended bill require the Department of Human Services, in cooperation with the State Auditor, to complete an evaluation of the effectiveness of all youth development programs and services by December 1, 1998. The expenditures the department will incur during FY 1998-99 to conduct the evaluation are based upon the following assumptions:
• that the bill will become effective in June 1998;
• that the department must first identify all youth development programs to be evaluated;
• that the department will evaluate programs that receive state funding, and will not evaluate programs that are entirely federally funded;
• that the definition of youth development services includes programs and services offered to youths under 18 years of age for the purpose of youth crime prevention, intervention or other youth development purposes;
• that there is a substantial similarity of the programs the department must evaluate per the provisions of this bill and the programs the State Auditor is required to evaluate per the provisions of Section 2-3-112, C.R.S.;
NOTE: Under current law, Section 2-3-112, C.R.S., requires the State Auditor to conduct performance audits of state or federally funded intervention and prevention programs for children and families to determine whether the programs are effectively and efficiently meeting their stated goals. In January 1997, the State Auditor identified 77 intervention and prevention programs. Of these, 36 receive state funding. The State Auditor is anticipated to complete performance audits of seven of these state funded programs by December, 1998.
• that the department will be required to evaluate a minimum of 29 programs for which performance audits will not be completed by December 1998;
• that data will be readily available for each of the programs to allow the department to complete the evaluations in a timely manner;
• the department will not be required to evaluate local government programs that are state funded;
• that the average cost of a contracted study is $100,000 per program; and
• that the department will incur additional administrative costs to initiate and administer the contracts to conduct the evaluations.
Table 1 provides a summary of the General Fund expenditures the department will incur in FY 1998-99 to implement the provisions of the amended bill.
Department of Human Services Evaluation of Youth Development Programs |
||
|
FY 1998-99 |
FY 1999-2000 |
Contracted Personal Services L/S Sci Res/Scientist III (grade 99, step 1) PERA/Medicare Total |
0.5 FTE - $21,816 2,825 $24,641 |
0 |
Operating Expenses |
$250 |
0 |
Legal Expenses |
0 |
0 |
Non-recurring Expenses |
$900 |
0 |
Program Evaluations - 29 @ $100,000 each |
$2,900,000 |
0 |
Total Expenses |
$2,925,791 |
0 |
Expenditures Not Included
Pursuant to the Joint Budget Committee’s budget policies, the following expenditures have not been included in this fiscal note:
• health and life insurance costs of $1,106;
• short-term disability costs of $46;
• inflationary cost factors;
• leased space; and
• indirect costs.
Spending Authority
This fiscal note would imply the Department of Human Services would require a General Fund appropriation of $2,925,791 for FY 1998-99.
Departments Contacted
Local Affairs Law Human Services State Auditor