78R6257 ESH-F


By:  Hamilton, Giddings, Menendez                                 H.B. No. 898


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the use of state travel services by public junior colleges and school districts. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 2171.055, Government Code, is amended by adding Subsection (f) to read as follows: (f) An officer or employee of a public junior college, as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code, or of a school district who is engaged in official business may participate in the commission's contract for travel services. The commission may charge a participating public junior college or school district a fee not to exceed the costs incurred by the commission in providing services under this subsection. The commission shall periodically review fees and shall adjust them as needed to ensure recovery of costs incurred in providing services to public junior colleges and school districts under this subsection. The commission shall deposit the fees collected under this subsection to the credit of the public education travel account. The public education travel account is an account in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only for the purposes of this chapter. The commission shall adopt rules and make or amend contracts as necessary to administer this subsection. SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 44, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 44.044 to read as follows: Sec. 44.044. LIMIT ON EXPENDITURES FOR TRAVEL SERVICES. A school district or public junior college may not reimburse an officer or employee for expenditures for travel services in excess of the applicable amount determined using the state travel allowance guide adopted by the comptroller under Section 660.021, Government Code. SECTION 3. Section 44.044, Education Code, as added by this Act, applies only to reimbursement of an officer or employee of a school district or junior college district for an expenditure for travel services made after August 31, 2003. Reimbursement of an officer or employee of a school district or junior college district for an expenditure for travel services made before September 1, 2003, is governed by the law in effect at the time the expenditure was made, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.