Fess Going Up On DPS Crime Labs

Fee Schedule for DPS Crime Lab Services Released
Sept. 1st Funding Change Mandated by Legislative Action

AUSTIN – The 85th Texas Legislature passed the General Appropriation Act (GAA). It requires the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to collect up to $11.5 million in fees for forensic analysis services (per Rider 58) to realize the full budget authorization for DPS Crime Labs ($74.5 million). Now the DPS will begin charging law enforcement agencies for using particular crime laboratory services on Sept. 1, 2017. Accordingly, DPS today released a fee schedule for specific crime lab services.

The Legislature provided the DPS lab system approximately $63 million for FY 2018-2019 and required 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: http://www.dps.texas.gov/docs/rider58.pdf