LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 13, 2009

TO:	Honorable Lois W. Kolkhorst, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB3408 by Gonzales (Relating to a county's authority to provide health care services.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code to authorize a county to provide health care services to a person in the county regardless of the person's income and to provide funding for those services from the county treasury. The county would be allowed to establish standards and application, documentation, and verification procedures for determining a person's eligibility to receive health care services under the statute.

Local Government Impact

The fiscal impact to units of local government would depend on decisions made by the county as to standards and application of the provisions of the bill, what services a county may already have in place, and the number of persons seeking those services. For example, Dallas County reports that the county already provides health care services to the indigent and others through the Parkland Hospital District. Harris County anticipates that services would be provided within budgetary resources. The Texas Association of Counties assumes there would be no significant fiscal impact to counties.

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

537 State Health Services, Department of

LBB Staff:

JOB, CL, DB