JLC H.B. 834 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS APPROPRIATIONS H.B. 834 By: Junell 2-26-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND The 73rd Legislature passed bills calling for payment delays. The payment deferrals provided extra flexibility regarding funding obligations to certain areas such as public and higher education, health and human services, and criminal justice. These areas would have been cut without the additional funding provided by the payment deferrals. The 74th Legislature discontinued this practice and made the required additional payments to put the funding back on schedule for all funds except the motor fuels tax payment which was delayed for 5 - 10 days at the end of the biennium. This bill would allow for the delay of payment of the motor fuels taxes to be initiated again this biennium. This is a gain to General Revenue Fund #001 of $317,414,000 in Fiscal Year 1999. As the previous delay of payment bill expires on October 1, 1997, the Comptroller assumed that the delay would not be continued and did not count this savings in his revenue estimate. PURPOSE As proposed, HB 834 will delay the transfer of the highway fund portion of motor fuels taxes collected in June, July, and August, 1999 that are allocable to the highway fund, until as soon as practicable after September 5, 1999 and no later than September 10, 1999. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS Section 1. ALLOCATIONS TO THE STATE HIGHWAY FUND. (a) Directs the comptroller to allocate and deposit to the credit of the state highway fund certain portions of motor fuel taxes collected in June, July, and August, 1999 to the state highway fund as soon as practicable after September 5, 1999 and no later than September 10, 1999. (b) This redirection would expire on October 1, 1999. Section 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.