BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center C.S.S.B. 1264
By: Watson
Committee Report (Substituted)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The Government Code regulates the use of contract travel services by state officials and employees and other eligible persons, including state credit cards, travel agencies, airlines, motor vehicles, Internet-based reservation and ticketing, lodging, and other modes and necessities of business-related travel. The purpose of the state travel management program is to encourage travelers to obtain the lowest overall cost of travel services and the program is administered through the Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts (comptroller) who negotiates better prices based on a volume basis.
State agency officials and employees in the executive branch are required to use the state's contract travel services whenever those services provide the most efficient travel resulting in the lowest total cost. Other officials and employees represented by governmental entities such as cities, counties, school districts, public junior colleges, institutions of higher education, emergency communication districts, and the state judicial system may also use the state's contract travel services.
C.S.S.B. 1264 authorizes an officer or employee of a transportation or transit authority, department, district, or system established under Subtitle K (Mass Transportation), Title 6 (Roadways), Transportation Code, who is engaged in official business of the authority, department, district, or system to participate in the comptroller of public accounts' (comptroller) contracts for travel services. C.S.S.B. 1264 also 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 Texas Facilities Commission contract for travel services for the purpose of obtaining reduced airline fares and reduced travel agent fees.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Facilities 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 Subsections (i) and (j), as follows:
(i) Authorizes an officer or employee of a transportation or transit authority, department, district, or system established under Subtitle K (Mass Transportation), Title 6 (Roadways), Transportation Code, who is engaged in official business of the authority, department, district, or system to participate in the comptroller of public accounts' (comptroller) contracts for travel services. Authorizes the comptroller to charge a participating authority, department, district, or system a fee not to exceed the costs incurred by the comptroller in providing services under this subsection. Requires the comptroller to periodically review fees and to adjust them as needed to ensure recovery of costs incurred in providing services to authorities, departments, districts, and systems under this subsection.
(j) 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 Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) contract for travel services for the purpose of obtaining reduced airline fares and reduced travel agent fees. Authorizes TFC to charge a participating hospital district a fee not to exceed the costs incurred by TFC in providing services under this subsection. Requires TFC to periodically review fees and to adjust them as needed to ensure recovery of costs incurred in providing services to hospital districts under this subsection. Requires TFC to deposit the fees collected under this subsection to the credit of the hospital district airline fares account. Provides that the hospital district airline fares account is an account in the general revenue fund that is authorized to be appropriated only for the purposes of this chapter. Requires TFC to adopt rules and make or amend contracts as necessary to administer this subsection.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.