BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

                                                                                                                                            S.B. 1663

                                                                                                                                            By: Eltife

                                                                                                                           Government Reform

                                                                                                       Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Current law permits several local government entities to take advantage of state travel rates, including employees or officers of county and municipal government and public junior colleges.

 

C.S.S.B. 1663 allows employees and board members of certain communication and emergency communication districts to utilize the Central Travel Office of the Texas Building and Procurement Commission (commission) state contract for airline fees and travel agent fees when traveling on official district business.  C.S.S.B. 1663 also allows the commission to charge a district an adjustable fee that does not exceed the commission's cost of providing such services, in accordance with commission rules regarding other local government entities.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Building and Procurement Commission in SECTION 1 of this bill.

 

ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 2171.055, Government Code, by adding Subsection (h), as follows:

 

(h)  Authorizes a board member or employee of a communication district or an emergency communication district established under Chapter 772, Health and Safety Code, who is engaged in official district business to participate in the Texas Building and Procurement Commission's (commission) contract for travel services for the purpose of obtaining reduced airline fares and reduced travel agent fees.  Authorizes the commission to charge a participating district a fee not to exceed the costs incurred by the commission in providing services under this subsection.  Requires the commission to periodically review fees and adjust them as needed to ensure recovery of costs incurred in providing services to districts under this subsection.  Requires the commission to deposit the fees collected under this subsection to the credit of the emergency communication district airline fares account.  Provides that the emergency communication district airline fares account is an account in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only for the purposes of this chapter.  Requires the commission to adopt rules and make or amend contracts as necessary to administer this subsection.

 

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  upon passage or September 1, 2005.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2005.