LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 80TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 11, 2007

TO:	Honorable Helen Giddings, Chair, House Committee on Business & Industry
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB1970 by Zedler (Relating to workers' compensation fee guidelines and payment adjustment factors used in conjunction with those guidelines for certain health care services. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Labor Code to require the commissioner to adopt certain payment adjustment factors to the Medicare fee schedule for health facility fees.  The bill specifically exempts governmental entities from the provisions regarding adjustment factors for health facility fees.  The bill would require the Division of Workers' Compenstaion at the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) to include certain information in reports to the Legislature.

Based on the analysis of TDI, duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources.

The bill would take effect September 1, 2007.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

454 Department of Insurance, 479 State Office of Risk Management, 601 Department of Transportation, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration

LBB Staff:

JOB, JRO, SK