Sept. 1st Funding Change Mandated by Legislative Action
AUSTIN – In accordance with the General Appropriation Act (GAA) passed by the 85th Texas Legislature requiring the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to collect up to $11.5 million in fees for forensic analysis services (per Rider 58) in order to realize the full budget authorization for DPS crime labs ($74.5 million), DPS will begin charging law enforcement agencies for using certain crime laboratory services on Sept. 1, 2017. Accordingly, DPS today released a fee schedule for particular crime lab services.
The Legislature provided the DPS lab system approximately $63 million for FY 2018-2019, and requires up to an additional $11.5 million to be charged and collected (as referenced above), which would make up the balance of the total authorized budget of the $74.5 million for crime laboratory services. Last biennium, the DPS crime lab was appropriated approximately $74.7 million.
For additional details and the fee schedule, visit: Rider 58
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