HBA-NLM, ATS C.S.S.B. 204 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 204
By: Carona (Allen)
County Affairs
3/15/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

State law authorizes a county sheriff, a deputy sheriff, or a juvenile
probation officer who is transporting a state prisoner to participate in
the General Services Commission's (commission) contract for travel services
for purposes of obtaining reduced airline fares.  C.S.S.B. 204 expands the
list of officials authorized to receive reduced airline fares as
participants in the commission's contract by including any county officer
or employee who is engaged in official county business. This bill also
requires the commission to deposit the fees collected under this subsection
to the credit of the county airline fares account, and establishes that the
county airline fares account is an account in the general revenue fund that
may be appropriated only for the purposes of this chapter. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority previously delegated to the General Services Commission is
modified in SECTION 1 (Section 2171.055, Government Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subsection (e), Section 2171.055, Government Code, to
include a county officer or employee who engages in official county
business as a person who is authorized to participate in the General
Services Commission's (commission) contract for travel services to obtain
reduced airline fares. Requires the commission to deposit the fees
collected under this subsection to the credit of the county airline fares
account.  Establishes that the county airline fares account is an account
in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only for the purposes
of this chapter. Requires the commission to adopt rules and make or amend
existing contracts as necessary to administer the provisions of this
subsection. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.S.B. 204 modifies the original in SECTION 1 by including a provision in
Subsection (e) to require the commission to deposit the fees collected
under this subsection to the credit of the county airline fares account.
C.S.S.B. 204 also establishes that the county airline fares account is an
account in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only for the
purposes of this chapter.