HBA-MPA C.S.H.B. 822 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 822 By: Maxey Human Services 3/18/1999 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE All Texas counties are responsible for a number of functions such as administering county finances; recording vital statistics; holding elections; preserving law and order; administering justice through the courts; building and maintaining county roads; and providing health and welfare services. While county governments have similar basic responsibilities, their roles vary considerably, largely due to their relative population. Six Texas counties account for 40 percent of the state's population. Such highly populated, heavily urbanized counties require an extensive array of social services such as health and welfare programs, which simply are not necessary or feasible in smaller counties. These services are eligible for a variety of federal funding. C.S.H.B. 822 establishes a task force of state agencies and county representatives to identify and remedy problems in local government, and to determine how they might work together to ensure that counties receive the maximum federal reimbursement for the services they provide, so that local taxpayers aren't paying more than they should for these services. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. (a) Provides for creation of a task force on federal reimbursement to counties, to be composed of the commissioner of health and human services, as presiding officer, three county representatives appointed by the governor, three county representatives appointed by the lieutenant governor, three county representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, three county representatives appointed by the comptroller, and one representative from each of eight specified state agencies, appointed by its governing body. (b) Requires the task force to study the changes needed to increase reimbursement to county government; identify ways to increase the reimbursement the federal government pays for the indirect costs that counties incur in administering aid programs; and identify methods of training employees on ways to increase federal reimbursement. (c) Requires the task force to report on its findings to the 77th Legislature, not later than January 15, 2001. (d) Requires the state agencies represented on the task force to provide staff support to the task force. (e) Requires the comptroller to serve as presiding officer of the task force if the office of the commissioner of health and human services is abolished. (f) Provides that this Act expires February 1, 2001. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 822 differs from the original bill in SECTION 1 by substituting the commissioner of health and human services for the comptroller as presiding officer of the task force; substituting "persons representing counties" for "county officials" in the membership of the task force; and deleting the Health and Human Services Commission from the list of agencies represented on the task force and adding the Texas Workforce Commission. C.S.H.B. 822 also adds a new Subsection (e) requiring the comptroller to serve as presiding officer of the task force if the office of the commissioner of health and human services is abolished. Redesignates Subsection (e) from the original to Subsection (f) in the substitute.