HBA-CMT C.S.H.B. 1619 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 1619 By: Jones, Jesse County Affairs 3/19/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The use of credit cards for small purchases is widely used in industry and government as a means of increasing efficiency and cost savings by decentralizing small purchase activity. C.S.H.B. 1619 provides that a person authorized by the county purchasing agent to use a county purchasing card while making a county purchase is considered an assistant to the purchasing agent, if that the person complies with the rules and procedures prescribed by the purchasing agent for the use of purchasing cards. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B 1619 amends the Local Government Code to provide that a person who is authorized by the county purchasing agent to use a county purchasing card while making a county purchase is considered an assistant of the county purchasing agent to the extent that the person complies with the rules and procedures prescribed for the use of county purchasing cards as adopted by the county purchasing agent. The bill authorizes a county purchasing agent to adopt rules and procedures for persons to use the county purchasing cards to pay for county purchases under the direction and supervision of the county purchasing agent, notwithstanding procedures for purchases that are paid for by warrant drawn by the county auditor or other law. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 1619 amends the original by removing the provision that authorized the commissioners court of a county to contract with one or more credit card issuers for the county purchasing agent or a person authorized by the purchasing agent to use credit cards to pay for county purchases. The substitute removes the provision that the commissioners court is authorized to adopt rules relating to the use of credit cards to pay for county purchases, and authorizes a county purchasing agent to adopt such rules.