| TO: | Honorable Jane Nelson, Chair, Senate Committee on Health & Human Services |
| FROM: | John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB528 by Madla (Relating to certain money received by a regional advisory council for trauma care.), As Introduced |
The bill relates to certain money received by a regional advisory council for trauma care. The bill would require that any unspent portions of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Regional Advisory Council (RAC) allotments in the one year from the EMS and Trauma Care System Account be retained for use in the following year. Any unspent portions of the EMS and RAC allotments from the EMS and Trauma Care System Account remaining the second year must be returned to the account. If enacted, the bill's provisions would take effect September 1, 2003 and apply only to funds disbursed under Section 773.122, Health and Safety Code, on or after this date.
The Department of Health indicates that current staff could absorb any additional workload associated with implementing the provisions of the bill. It is assumed that any costs associated with implementing the bill's provisions would be absorbed within the agency's existing resources.
In order to fully implement the provisions of this bill, specific authority would also need to be granted in the General Appropriations Act for regional contractors to retain funds appropriated in one fiscal year for expenditure in another fiscal year. Unexpended balance authority between biennia is generally subject to a charge to the General Appropriations Act.
The bill would allow regional advisory councils to retain funds appropriated for one fiscal year for expenditure in the next fiscal year.
The Deep East Texas Regional Advisory Council (service area population 242,998, annual council budget $62,000) reported that the bill would allow them greater flexibility in funding and completing end-user transactions at the end of a contract period and would eliminate cash-flow problems at the beginning of a fiscal year.
The Northeast Texas Regional Advisory Council (service area population 261,010, annual council budget $73,896) reported that the bill would allow them more funds and more time to locate and contract with providers in their mostly rural area.
The Big Country Regional Advisory Council (service area population 210,000, annual council budget $175,000) reported that if they did not have to return funds to the Texas Department of Health, they would see a possible revenue gain of $5,000 per biennium to provide additional programs.
| Source Agencies: | 501 Department of Health
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| LBB Staff: | JK, EB, KF, RM, KG
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