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Executive Summary: Staff requests Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (Commission) approval to purchase additional capital budget items and to request approval from the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) and the Office of the Governor to exceed the transfer limitation on capital budget expenditures.
Resumen ejecutivo: El personal solicita la aprobación de la Comisión de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas (Comisión) para adquirir artículos adicionales del presupuesto de capital y para solicitar la aprobación de la Junta de Presupuesto Legislativo (LBB) y la Oficina del Gobernador para exceder la limitación de transferencia en los gastos del presupuesto de capital.
Request to Exceed Capital Budget Transfer Limitations
I. Executive Summary: Staff requests Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (Commission) approval to purchase additional capital budget items and to request approval from the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) and the Office of the Governor to exceed the transfer limitation on capital budget expenditures.
II. Discussion: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is seeking Commission approval to use Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Game, Fish and Water Safety Account Fund No. 9 and Sporting Goods Sales Tax (SGST)-64 for purchase of capital budget items, which will cause TPWD to exceed the transfer limit.
These capital budget items are documented for approval in Exhibit A and are necessary for TPWD to address game warden and state park police capital equipment needs for the replacement of expired and outdated body armor/vests. As these purchases are necessary for the safety and protection of TPWD’s game wardens and state park police officers in carrying out their duties, TPWD does not believe these capital expenditures should be deferred.
To pursue the purchase of these capital budget items, Article IX, Section 14.03 of the General Appropriations Act (88th Texas Legislature) requires the Commission to request approval from the LBB and the Office of the Governor to exceed the 25 percent transfer limitation on capital budget expenditures. Upon adoption of this item, a formal memo requesting approval of these items will be submitted to the LBB and Office of the Governor under the Commission Chairman’s signature.
III. Recommendation: Staff recommends that the Commission adopt the following motion:
“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approves the capital budget items as reflected in Exhibit A and requests approval from the Legislative Budget Board and the Office of the Governor to exceed the 25 percent transfer limitation on capital budget expenditures.”
Exhibit A
Capital Budget Expenditures
Capital Budget Category
Items
Description/Justification
Funding Source
Total
Capital Equipment
Body Armor/Vests
Funding would allow for the purchase of Level IV Plate Carriers/Body Armor (multi-hit ballistic body armor) for 365 Game Wardens. The safety of our Texas Game Wardens is paramount, and recent assessments of current protective equipment have highlighted significant gaps in the capabilities of the existing body armor. The current issue armor provides insufficient protection against multi-hit scenarios, which have become a growing concern due to the nature of recent threats and tactical situations encountered by officers in the field, particularly along the Texas-Mexico border. Multi-hit ballistic body armor is designed to withstand multiple shots to the same area without compromising the integrity of the protective layer, making it essential for officer safety during high-risk operations. These types of vests have an approximate 5-year life span.
GR-D 09
$831,105
Funding would allow for the purchase of 140 Level IV Plate Carriers/Body Armor (multi-hit ballistic body armor), for all State Park Police Officers, a critical need for law enforcement to provide added protection against rifle rounds and other projectiles during a high-level event that the current issued ballistic carrier does not protect against. These types of vests have an approximate 5-year life span.
SGST 64
$318,780
Total — Capital Budget Items
$1,149,885
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