SRC-TAG H.B. 418 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 418 78R1707 JRJ-DBy: Martinez Fischer (Lindsay) Criminal Justice 5/22/2003 Engrossed DIGEST AND PURPOSE The 77th Texas Legislature increased the penalty for offenses relating to the improper use of child safety belts. It also intended to require a city or county to send to the state comptroller half of the fines collected for these violations, for deposit into the state's tertiary care fund for trauma centers. However, a technical error in the statute resulted in the requirement that a city or county submit half of the fines collected for all safety belt violations. H.B. 418 requires that a city or county send to the state comptroller half of the fines collected for child safety belt violations 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 Section 545.413(j), Transportation Code, to require a municipality or a county, at the end of the municipality's or county's fiscal year, notwithstanding Section 542.402(a), to send to the comptroller of public accounts (comptroller) an amount equal to 50 percent of the fines collected by the municipality or the county for violations of Subsection (b) of this section. Requires the comptroller to deposit the amount received to the credit of the tertiary care fund for use by trauma centers. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2003. Makes application of this prospective.