LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                                May 8, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Mike Moncrief, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Health & Human Services
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB1183  by Capelo (Relating to the regulation of surgical
               assistants and to the determination of whether a patient
               is a non-indigent patient; granting rulemaking
               authority; providing an administrative penalty.), As
               Engrossed
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  HB1183, As Engrossed:  an impact of $0 through the biennium ending    *
*  August 31, 2003.                                                      *
*                                                                        *
*  The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal      *
*  basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of    *
*  the bill.                                                             *
**************************************************************************
  
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2002                                   $0  *
          *       2003                                    0  *
          *       2004                                    0  *
          *       2005                                    0  *
          *       2006                                    0  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
**************************************************************************
*Fiscal        Probable         Probable Revenue    Change in Number of  *
* Year    Savings/(Cost) from Gain/(Loss) from New State Employees from  *
*         New General Revenue    General Revenue          FY 2001        *
*               Related              Related                             *
*  2002             $(151,897)             $151,897                  3.0 *
*  2003              (184,323)              184,323                  4.0 *
*  2004              (184,323)              184,323                  4.0 *
*  2005              (184,323)              184,323                  4.0 *
*  2006              (184,323)              184,323                  4.0 *
**************************************************************************
  
Technology Impact
  
Professional service costs of $14,000 and $7,000 are estimated in fiscal
years 2002 and 2003 respectively.
  
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The bill would amend the Occupations Code to regulate surgical assistants
and would create a committee to advise the Board of Medical Examiners
(BME) regarding the regulation of surgical assistants.  The bill would
establish new guidelines and requirements for the advisory committee and
the BME and would require the BME to establish licensing and enforcement
procedures and requirements, administer examinations, prepare an annual
financial report, and perform other duties to administer the provisions
of the bill.

The bill would allow the BME to set and collect fees to offset expenses
incurred in administering and enforcing the provisions of the bill, and
would create a new, unnamed dedicated account in the General Revenue
Fund.  The bill would require all revenue collected by the BME for the
purpose of licensing and regulating surgical assistants to be deposited
to the new account.  The bill would require the Comptroller to transfer
any surplus remaining in the account at the end of a biennium to the
General Revenue Fund.

The bill would take effect September 1, 2001.  The medical board would be
required to adopt rules by January 1, 2002; surgical assistants would
not be required to have licenses until September 1, 2002.
  
  
Methodology
  
It is estimated a staff of approximately three full-time equivalents
(FTEs) in the first year and four FTEs in each subsequent year would be
required to implement the provisions of the bill.  This estimate is based
on the assumption that approximately 4,600 surgical assistants would
apply for licensure.

It is assumed the agency would adopt rules and set fees sufficient to
cover the costs or implementing the bill.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   320   Texas Workforce Commission, 304   Comptroller
                   of Public Accounts, 503   Texas State Board of
                   Medical Examiners
LBB Staff:         JK, HD, RT, MW