BILL ANALYSIS
By: Veasey
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The Central Travel Office of the Texas Building and Procurement Commission (the commission) negotiates with private travel agents and transportation providers to obtain reduced travel rates for certain public employees traveling on official business. The law permits numerous governmental entities to take advantage of these rates including employees of the state's legislative and executive branches, employees of higher education institutions, employees of the Employee Retirement System, and employees and officers of county and municipal government and public junior colleges, thus reducing the cost of travel expenses.
Based on the inclusiveness of the statute, it seems logical to extend these cost-saving benefits to local emergency communication districts as well, since they are required to travel, sometimes extensively, on official business. Travel expenses can represent a sizable portion of a district’s budget and ever increasing expenses. Allowing districts to participate in travel service contracts could potentially reduce expense to the local districts, as well as potentially strengthen the state's negotiating position by increasing the volume of travelers pooled.
H. B. 3047 would allow local emergency communications district employees and board members to participate in the state's travel pool to obtain rates for official travel duties.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
The bill allows local emergency communication district officers or employees defined under the Health and Safety Code to utilize the commission's contract for reduced airline fees and travel agent fees when traveling on official district business. The commission may charge a district an adjustable fee that does not exceed the commission's cost. The bill directs the commission to deposit fees to a district airline fares account in the general revenue fund, and makes those funds only useable for purposes of this chapter. The bill also directs the commission to adopt rules and make or amend contracts as necessary. The bill would take immediate effect if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, it takes effect September 1, 2005.
EFFECTIVE DATE
The Act would take immediate effect if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house; otherwise, it would take effect September 1, 2005.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
The substitute modifies the original by changing subsection (g) to subsection (h) in Section 1 of the bill.