| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote No; Amend | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Neutral |
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Based on the analysis of the Texas Education Agency, duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources.
Local Government Impact Districts may incur a cost to purchase one of the programs compiled by the TEA. Costs to districts would not be known until the TEA compiles a list of approved programs.
While local school districts are likely fully capable of handling this on their own, it is not problematic to have the TEA put together a list of evidence-based prescription drug misuse awareness program.
The fiscal note indicates that school districts "may incur a cost to purchase one of the programs compiled by the TEA. Costs to districts would not be known until the TEA compiles a list of approved programs." To the extent that school districts would be required to purchase a program, this bill would constitute an unfunded mandate. For that reason we oppose the bill on limited government grounds.
The adoption of an amendment to make the requirement on school districts optional would satisfy our objection and we would move to a neutral position as there would be no infringement of liberty principles in that case.