BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1023
S/C on Emerging Technologies & Economic Dev.
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The Texas Enterprise Zone Program was created to promote job creation and capital investment in economically distressed areas. The program provides communities with an economic development tool to offer state and local incentives and program priority to new or expanding businesses in designated areas.
While Texas has created programs to develop new jobs and stimulate new business, there has been a steady increase in the number and percentage of Texas' population without health insurance. The cost of providing health services to an uninsured population is being shifted to the Medicaid and CHIP programs, local taxpayers, and private businesses that help finance their employees' and their employees' families health insurance. Many businesses have found health insurance too expensive to purchase or have chosen not to provide health insurance.
As proposed, S.B. 1023 prohibits a grant of money from the Texas Enterprise Fund from being made unless the grant recipient commits to providing a health benefit plan to the recipient's full-time employees.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 481.078, Government Code, by adding Subsection (k), to prohibit a grant of money from the Texas Enterprise Fund from being made to a recipient unless the recipient commits to providing a health benefit plan to the recipient's full-time employees.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2007.