HBA-SEP C.S.H.B. 1351 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 1351 By: Brimer State Affairs 3/22/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law requires pay phone operators to pay the same Texas universal service fund (TUSF) charges as other phone carriers. However, pay phone operators cannot pass these charges along to customers on a monthly basis like other telecommunication operators. C.S.H.B. 1351 prohibits the Public Utility Commission of Texas from assessing, on pay telephone service, the uniform charge that funds TUSF. 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. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 1351 amends the Utilities Code to prohibit the Public Utility Commission of Texas from assessing, on pay telephone service, the uniform charge that funds the Texas universal service fund. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 1351 differs from the original by eliminating the requirement that a pay telephone be customerowned to be exempt from the uniform charge that funds the universal service fund.