SRC-SEW H.B. 893 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   H.B. 893
By: Hinojosa (Harris)
State Affairs
5/6/2001
Engrossed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

In 1999, the legislature created the tertiary care account to help
reimburse hospitals for some of the $65 million spent on free trauma care
for indigent residents in 1997. The tertiary care account may only
reimburse hospitals for services delivered to out-of-county residents
living below the poverty level that participate in the specified trauma
network. Originally the tertiary care account was funded by unclaimed prize
money from the Texas Lottery, which averages about $16 million per year.
However, the need for funds is not fully met. H.B. 893 creates an
additional fee for motor vehicle registration dedicated to the tertiary
care account.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a
state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 502D, Transportation Code, by adding Section
502.1711, as follows: 

Sec. 502.1711.  ADDITIONAL FEE FOR TRAUMA CENTERS. (a) Requires, in
addition to other fees imposed under this chapter for a license plate or
set of license plates or other device used as the registration insignia, a
fee of $5 to be collected. 

(b)  Requires the county assessor-collector, on the first Monday of each
month, to send the fee collected under this section to the comptroller for
deposit in the tertiary care account under Section 46.003, Health and
Safety Code. 

(c)  Authorizes the county assessor-collector to retain an amount equal to
not more than 10 percent of each fee collected under Subsection (a).
Requires the assessor-collector to deposit any amount retained under this
subsection in the county treasury to the credit of the general fund and to
petition the commissioners court for the amount necessary to administer
this section. Authorizes the commissioners court to allocate money
deposited in the county treasury under this subsection that is not
allocated to the assessor-collector to administer this section for general
purposes of the county. 
 
SECTION 2.  Effective date:  September 1, 2001.