BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center                                                                                                      S.B. 1663

                                                                                                                                            By: Eltife

                                                                                                                  Government Organization

                                                                                                                                              4/8/2005

                                                                                                                                              As Filed

 

 

AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

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.

 

S.B. 1663 allows 24 emergency communication districts, and their employees and board members, that provide 9-1-1 emergency services 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.  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 (Section 2171.055, Government Code) of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

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

 

(g)  Authorizes a board member or employee of an emergency communication district as defined by 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 districts airline fares account.  Provides that the 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.