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.