LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
75th Regular Session
May 7, 1997
TO: Honorable Tom Craddick, Chair IN RE: Senate Bill No. 102,
As Engrossed
Committee on Ways & Means By: Zaffirini
House
Austin, Texas
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB102 ( relating
to the creation and use of an emergency medical services and
trauma care system fund.) this office has detemined the following:
Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by SB102-As Engrossed
Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a net
impact of $0 to General Revenue Related Funds through the biennium
ending August 31, 1999.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal
basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions
of the bill.
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would create the Emergency Medical Services and Trauma
Care System Fund as a new special fund outside of the general
revenue fund. Revenues in the fund would be appropriated to
the Department of Health to fund county and regional emergency
medical services and trauma care systems and administrative
expenses at the Department of Health. The creation and/or continuation
of special funds outside the general revenue fund could further
restrict the Legislature's ability to appropriate revenues for
general operating purposes.
The bill would amend the Transportation
Code to require an applicant for issuance or renewal of a driver's
license or commercial driver's license to pay an emergency medical
services and trauma care system fund fee of $2.
The bill
would require the Commissioner of Health to maintain a reserve
of $250,000 of funds appropriated for extraordinary emergencies.
The remaining amounts appropriated would be allocated as follows
during each fiscal year: at least 70 percent would fund the
cost of supplies, operational expenses, education and training,
equipment, vehicles, and communications systems for local emergency
medical services; no more than 25 percent would fund operations
of the 22 trauma support areas; not more than 3 percent would
fund the administrative costs of the Bureau of Emergency Management;
and at least 2 percent would fund a portion of uncompensated
trauma care provided at facilities designated as state trauma
facilities.
Methodolgy
The Comptroller's revenue estimates, shown in the table below,
are based on Department of Public Safety data on the number
of issuances and renewals of driver's licenses, projected for
the five year horizon and multiplied by $2.
It is estimated
that, after subtracting the $250,000 reserve, approximately
$5 million per year would be available to the local emergency
medical services, approximately $2 million per year would be
available to fund the operations of the 22 trauma support areas,
approximately $200,000 would be available to the Department
of Health for administrative costs, including the addition of
3 full-time equivalent positions, and approximately $170,000
to $180,000 would be available to fund a portion of uncompensated
trauma care at state trauma facilities.
The probable fiscal implications of implementing the provisions
of the bill during each of the first five years following passage
is estimated as follows:
Five Year Impact:
Fiscal Year Probable Revenue Probable Change in Number
Gain/(Loss) from Savings/(Cost) of State
New - Emergency from New - Employees from
Services and Emergency FY 1997
Trauma Care Services and
System Fund Trauma Care
System Fund
NEW-OTH NEW-OTH
1998 $8,003,000 ($8,003,000) 3.0
1998 8,079,000 (8,079,000) 3.0
2000 8,156,000 (8,156,000) 3.0
2001 8,233,000 (8,233,000) 3.0
2002 8,312,000 (8,312,000) 3.0
Net Impact on General Revenue Related Funds:
Fiscal Year Probable Net Postive/(Negative)
General Revenue Related Funds
Funds
1998 $0
1999 0
2000 0
2001 0
2002 0
Similar annual fiscal implications would continue as long as
the provisions of the bill are in effect.
Counties would realize positive fiscal impacts from the provisions
of the bill, since 70% of funds appropriated, or at least approximately
$5.4 to $5.6 million in each fiscal year after 1998, would be
allocated to counties. The distribution of the appropriated
funds would be based on the relative geographic size and population
of the county and the relative number of emergency trauma runs
performed by eligible recipients in the county. It is estimated
that the 254 counties in the state would receive annual grants
from the Department of Health ranging from $1,000 to each of
the smallest counties with low levels of trauma runs to $200,000
per fiscal year in the largest and most populous counties with
highly active trauma service providers.
Source: Agencies:
LBB Staff: JK ,RR ,KF