SRC-AAA S.B. 1681 75(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1681
By: Ratliff
Finance
4-4-97
As Filed


DIGEST 

Currently, state agencies, who choose to use credit cards for the payment
of fees, do not have the authority to recover the service fee charged by
the credit card company for use of a credit card.  This bill authorizes
the Department of Public Safety and the Texas Real Estate Commission to
add a surcharge onto their fees in order to recover the credit card
company's service charge. 

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 1681 authorizes the Department of Public Safety and the
Texas Real Estate Commission to add a surcharge onto their fees in order
to recover the credit card company's service charge. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is granted to the comptroller in SECTION 1 ( Section
403.023, Government Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 403.023, Government Code, by adding Subsection
(f), to require the comptroller, by rule, to authorize the Department of
Public Safety and the Texas Real Estate Commission to set and charge a fee
for the use of a credit card to pay a fee assessed by the particular
agency in an amount reasonable and necessary to reimburse the agency for
the costs involved. 

SECTION 2. Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.