BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 899

By: Deuell

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, the comptroller of public accounts is authorized to negotiate with private travel agents and transportation providers to develop reduced travel rates for certain public employees traveling on official business.

S.B. 899 authorizes the benefit of negotiated travel service contracts to be extended by the comptroller to employees of transportation or transit authorities, departments, districts, mass transportation systems, and hospital districts who are required to travel on official business.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the comptroller of public accounts in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 899 amends the Government Code to authorize an officer or employee of a transportation or transit authority, department, district, or mass transportation system who is engaged in official business of the authority, department, district, or system to participate in the comptroller of public accounts' contracts for travel services.  The bill authorizes an officer or employee of a hospital district created under general or special law who is engaged in official hospital district business to participate in the comptroller's contract for travel services for the purpose of obtaining reduced airline fares and reduced travel agent fees.  The bill authorizes the comptroller to charge a participating entity a fee not to exceed the costs incurred by the comptroller in providing such services.  The bill requires the comptroller to periodically review fees and to adjust them as needed to ensure recovery of costs incurred in providing travel services to the authorities, departments, districts, systems, and hospital districts.  The bill requires the comptroller to deposit the fees collected from a participating hospital districts to the credit of the hospital district airline fares account.  The bill establishes that the hospital district airline fares account is an account in the general revenue fund that may be appropriated only for the purposes of travel and vehicle fleet services.  The bill requires the comptroller to adopt rules and to make or amend contracts as necessary to administer the hospital district provisions.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.