LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 78TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

May 23, 2003

TO:	Honorable Bill Ratliff, Chair, Senate Committee on State Affairs
FROM:	John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB2053 by Smith, Wayne (Relating to group health and related benefits provided by counties.), Committee Report 2nd House, As Amended

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Local Government Code to authorize a county commissioners court by rule, including through an intergovernmental risk pool organization under Chapter 172, Local Government Code, to provide group health and related benefits for certain county employees whose salary is paid entirely from county funds or flood district funds (if the flood district is located completely within the county), or if they are employees of another governmental entity for which the county is obligated to provide benefits, including deputies, assistants, other county employees, flood district employees, county and district officers and their deputies, employees of the community supervision and corrections department, persons retired from these positions, and dependents of the persons described.

 

A county that chooses to provide medical or related benefits would have an option regarding which subchapter governing benefits it would use including changing fund types if a fund was previously created.

 

The bill would take effect September 1, 2003.

Local Government Impact

The Texas Association of Counties and the Texas Conference of Urban Counties were contacted regarding the fiscal impact of the bill. No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

LBB Staff:

JK, RR, DLBa