LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  April 9, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Keith Oakley, Chair            IN RE:  House Bill No. 1668
          Committee on Public Safety                              By: Junell
          House
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB1668 ( Relating 
to the fees imposed to fund 9-1-1 services and regional poison 
control centers and to the oversight of the collection and use 
of those fees.) this office has detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB1668-As Introduced
         
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
         

         
 
          
Fiscal Analysis

The bill would amend the Health and Safety 
Code by adding Section 771.0725 to require the Public Utility 
Commission (PUC) to establish annual rates for the emergency 
service fee imposed under Section 771.071 and the equalization 
surcharge, including the allocation of revenue, required by 
Section 771.072.    Presently the Code provides that the emergency 
service fee and the equalization surcharge are set by the Advisory 
Commission on State Emergency Communications (ACSEC).

Additionally, 
the Bill would allow the Comptroller to conduct audits of telephone 
service providers, and require the State Auditor's Office (SAO) 
to audit each regional planning commission and their use of 
9-1-1 fees and surcharges at least once every four years.

The 
bill would take effect immediately upon enactment.

Methodology

The 
bill would implement the Texas Performance Review (TPR) recommendation 
GG19 in Disturbing the Peace:  The Challenge of Change in Texas 
Government to authorize the Public Utilities Commission of Texas 
(PUC) to approve the emergency service fees adopted by the Advisory 
Commission on State Emergency Communications.  The PUC currently 
sets telephone and utility rates in Texas.  

Implementation 
of the bill's provisions would require new PUC rules specifying 
the rate-setting process, a schedule of activities for annually 
establishing each rate, and a method for deciding the appropriate 
allocation of surcharge revenue to regional planning commissions. 
 

The bill would further require that the SAO perform audits 
of the regional planning commissions at least once every four 
years.  Additionally, the SAO must complete initial audits of 
all the regional planning commissions and issue a report to 
the Legislature by January 15, 1999.  

Although there would 
be some cost to PUC and the SAO associated with adding these 
new responsibilities, it is assumed that the additional workload 
could be handled within the agencies' current resources.

Additionally, 
ACSEC and the Comptroller anticipate that any costs to their 
agencies can be handled within existing resources.

No fiscal 
implication to units of local government is anticipated.
          
   Source:            Agencies:   473   Public Utility Commission of Texas
                                         477   Advisory Commission on State Emergency Communications
                                         501   Department of Health
                                         304   Comptroller of Public Accounts
                                         308   State Auditor's Office
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,CB ,SC