BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 1924 By: Maxey (Barrientos) State Affairs 5-22-95 Senate Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND The State of Texas spends about $70,000 a year to purchase copies of the Official State Mileage Guide, issued by the Statistical Research Service in Austin. Intercity travelers are required to use the guide to calculate distances between cities in order to receive reimbursement from the state. Because of continuous highway construction, the shortest routes between cities change, quickly outdating the guide. Therefore, the state must purchase guides annually to fulfill obligations to the law. The system may be made more accurate and cost-effective by creating an electronic and state mileage guide which would be open to changes and updates. PURPOSE As proposed, H.B. 1924 requires state agencies to adopt a mileage guide that is available both electronically and in a printed version that provides information on the shortest routes and distances between cities and is updated as necessary. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 660.053, Government Code, as follows: Sec. 660.053. DETERMINATION OF MILEAGE FOR TRAVEL BY PERSONAL CAR. (a) Created from existing text. Requires the comptroller, in determining the amount of a payment for travel by privately owned car, to adopt a mileage guide that is available both electronically and in a printed version that includes information on distances and the shortest routes between points in the state and to update the mileage guide as necessary, rather than annually. (b) Requires the comptroller to encourage the use of the electronic mileage guide. Authorizes the comptroller to prescribe the circumstances under which a state agency may rely on the printed mileage guide. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1995. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.