HBA-JEK C.S.S.B. 736 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 736
By: Duncan
Appropriations
5/8/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The 76th Legislature established the self-directed semi-independent agency
pilot project (pilot project) to allow the Texas State Board of
Accountancy, the Texas Board of Professional Engineers, and the Texas Board
of Architectural Examiners to exercise greater budget flexibility, freedom
from certain state agency requirements, and general autonomy in the
operation of their respective agencies.  Although the pilot project was
scheduled as a four-year project, the agencies were unable to start the
project during the interim because allowances had not been made for agency
funds to be held outside of the state treasury.  C.S.S.B. 736 requires all
fees and funds from the pilot project to be deposited in the Texas Treasury
Safekeeping Trust Company. 

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.S.B. 736 amends law to require all fees and funds collected by a
project agency during the selfdirected semi-independent agency pilot
project (pilot project) and any funds appropriated to the pilot project
agency to be deposited in interest-bearing deposit accounts in the Texas
Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company (trust company).  The bill requires the
comptroller of public accounts to contract with the project agency for the
maintenance of the deposit accounts under terms comparable to a contract
between a commercial banking institution and its customers.  The bill
requires unexpended fees of a state agency no longer having status as a
self-directed semi-independent project agency to be transferred from the
trust company to the state.  The bill appropriates an amount equal to 50
percent for each project agency to establish itself as self-directed
semi-independent after the conclusion of fiscal year 2001. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.S.B. 736 differs from the original bill by removing the provision that
extended the sunset date from September 1, 2003 to September 1, 2005, for
the Self-Directed Semi-Independent Agency Project Act, the Texas State
Board of Public Accountancy, the Texas Board of Professional Engineers, and
the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners.