LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
75th Regular Session
February 19, 1997
TO: Honorable Bill Ratliff, Chair IN RE: Senate Bill No. 102
Committee on Finance By: Zaffirini
Senate
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 Introduced
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 special account in the state treasury.
The fund would receive revenue from a $6 court fee that would
be imposed on a person convicted of an offense related to the
operation and movement of vehicle provisions in Chapter 545,
Subchapters B, C, D, E, F, H, and I in the Transportation Code.
The fund also would receive revenue from a $6 court fee for
offenses related to the driving or operating a motor vehicle,
aircraft, or watercraft while intoxicated. Revenues in the
fund would be appropriated to the Department of Health and used
to fund county and regional emergency medical services and trauma
care systems.
The bill would require the Commissioner of
Health to maintain $250,000 in reserve of money appropriated
from the fund for extraordinary emergencies. At least seventy
percent of the appropriated money remaining in the fund in any
given year must be used to fund local emergency medical services.
Not more than twenty-five percent of the appropriated funds
remaining may be used for operation of the 22 trauma support
areas. Not more than three percent of the appropriated money
remaining in the fund may be used for administrative costs at
the Department of Health. At least two percent of the remaining
money appropriated in any given year will be used to fund a
portion of uncompensated trauma care.
Methodolgy
The numbers used to estimate the total number of convictions
that would be subject to the surcharge were based on information
from the Texas Judicial System: Annual Report for Fiscal Year
1996. It is estimated that approximately 70,000 DWI convictions
and 920,000 traffic-related convictions subject to the provisions
of this bill would occur annually, for a total revenue of $5,940,000
per year.
It is assumed that there would be delay in generation
of revenue during the first year and a delay in distribution
of the grants during fiscal year 1998.
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) to Savings/(Cost) of State
New - Emergency from New - Employees from
Medical Services Emergency FY 1997
and Trauma Care Medical Services
Fund and Trauma Care
Fund
NEW-OTH NEW-OTH
1998 $2,970,000 ($2,970,000) 1.0
1998 5,940,000 (5,940,000) 2.0
2000 5,940,000 (5,940,000) 2.0
2001 5,940,000 (5,940,000) 2.0
2002 5,940,000 (5,940,000) 2.0
Net Impact on General Revenue Related Funds:
The probable fiscal implication to General Revenue related funds
during each of the first five years is estimated as follows:
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.
LOCAL
Counties would realize positive fiscal impacts from the
provisions of the bill, since 70% of funds appropriated, or
at least approximately $4.2 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 commission 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.
The
creation of a new court cost, however, could have adverse effects
on local courts. Many municipal court judges and administrators
contend that after the imposition of additional court costs,
fines are actually reduced because judges take the new fines
into consideration when determining the total amount the defendant
will pay. According to a recent study by the Texas Municipal
League, data collected from a survey of 125 cities shows that
over a four-year period municipal court revenue collection increased
from $67.9 million to $73.9 million, an increase of 8.9 percent,
while revenue retained by the municipalities actually decreased
over the same period, from $56.1 million to $55.8 million, a
decrease of 0.5%. Any such losses to counties would be offset
by the receipt of new trauma care funds as provided by the bill.
For municipalities, however, the bill could result in nominal
negative fiscal implications.
Source: Agencies: 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts
501 Department of Health
LBB Staff: JK ,RR ,KF ,TL