FISCAL NOTE
FUND(S):
0407 - Central Office General Administrative Fund 0407 - Central Office General Administrative Fund
Sources of Revenue:
General Fund
Legislation creates:
A New Program
Fiscal Note Summary
Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.
The purpose of this bill is to require the Commissioner of Bureau for Public Health to conduct a public health impact statement assessing the health impact of any new air or water rule, or modification of an existing air or water rule, proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection to insure that no air or water rule is promulgated without substantiating independent medical or scientific evidence that there is no detrimental public health impact from the rule. The bill also requires that the findings in the impact statement be incorporated into the proposed rule.
The responsibility for implementation would reside in the Department's Bureau for Public Health, Office of Environmental Health Services which would require additional staff. The Department is basing this fiscal note estimate on data from our current federal grant Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which funds site specific health activities to determine the public health impact of human exposure to hazardous substances at hazardous waste sites and the estimated number of air and water rules (73) that may be subject to the provisions of this legislation. The Department estimates that the total annual cost increase would be $716,708, based on the additional staff needed due to the lack of personnel with the time and expertise to carry out this effort.
Fiscal Note Detail
| Effect of Proposal |
Fiscal Year |
2012
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
2013
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
Fiscal Year
(Upon Full
Implementation) |
| 1. Estmated Total Cost |
0 |
716,708 |
683,208 |
| Personal Services |
0 |
572,908 |
572,908 |
| Current Expenses |
0 |
65,800 |
47,300 |
| Repairs and Alterations |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Assets |
0 |
15,000 |
0 |
| Other |
0 |
63,000 |
63,000 |
| 2. Estimated Total Revenues |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):
The estimated cost increase is based on forming a new unit within BPH and the associated costs to verify no detrimental public health impact from WVDEP air and water rules.
Estimated costs include 9 new full time positions, totaling $400,000. Personal Services: 2 Epidemiologist II @ $50,000 = $100,000, 2 Environmental Toxicologist @ $60,000 = $120,000, 1 Environmental Resources Specialist @ $35,000, 1 Engineer @ $50,000, 1 Office Assistant I @ $20,000, 1 Office Assistant II @ $25,000, 1 Environmental Analyst @ $50,000. Fringe Benefits are calculated as follows: admin. fees and health insurance at $7,715 per FTE = (9 * $7,715 = $69,432); FICA, retirement and workers' compensation at 21.36% of personal services is $85,440. WV OPEB Contribution is $167 per month ($2,004 per year) for each insurance policy holder. It is anticipated that each employee will have insurance; total WV OPEB cost for 9 employees is $18,036.
Total Personal Services of $400,000 and Fringes of $172,908 equals $572,908. Currently, OEHS does not have space available for these 9 positions.
Current Expenses: Travel @ $20,000, Office Supplies @ $8,000, Rent @ $6,800, Vehicle Rental @ $5,000, Telephone @ $2,000, Cell Phone @ $2,000, Postage @ $1,000, Printing @ $1,000, Misc. Equipment (recorders, cameras, copiers) $3,000, Office Furniture @ $17,000 = $65,800. Equipment: Computers @ $15,000. Approximately $63,000 will be needed for contractual costs related to research for items requiring additional expert information. Total program cost is $716,708.
In subsequent years, miscellaneous equipment will be reduced to $1,500; computers ($15,000) and office equipment ($17,000) will be a onetime purchase; future program costs are $683,208 per year.
Memorandum
The Department has no capacity to substantiate with independent medical or scientific evidence (separate from what the WVDEP used to formulate the rule) that there is not detrimental public health impact. The air and water rules must be consistent with federal standards and cannot be less stringent. The estimated number of staff needed for this new responsibility is difficult to project. Depending upon the number and technical evaluations of any proposed rule or rule change, staffing may be under/over stated. This is only an estimate based on the Department's current experiences. The cost for surveys and testing should be based on the data to be collected and the potential detrimental public health impact to be measured. The Department cannot estimate the amount of time and effort needed to assess each rule (there are approximately 73 air and water rules that could be subject to the provisions of this bill). It is probable that assessments may take more than one year, particularly if surveys and medical data must be collected to verify the public health impact.
Person submitting Fiscal Note: Michael J. Lewis, M.D., Ph.D.
Email Address: dhhrbudgetoffice@wv.gov