82(R) HB 2546 - House Committee Report version

Fiscal Year	Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2012	($60,095)
2013	($3,142,335)
2014	($3,142,735)
2015	($3,142,335)
2016	($3,142,735)

Fiscal Year	Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2012	($60,095)
2013	($3,142,335)
2014	($3,142,735)
2015	($3,142,335)
2016	($3,142,735)

Fiscal Year	Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2011
2012	0.6
2013	0.6
2014	0.6
2015	0.6
2016	0.6

Fiscal Analysis

The provisions of the bill would create the Texas Emergency and Trauma Care Education Partnership Program administered by the Higher Education Coordinating Board (Board). Under provisions of the bill, the Board would make grants to emergency and trauma care education partnerships to assist those partnerships in offering one-year or two-year residency fellowships to students enrolled in a graduate professional nursing or graduate medical education program through the collaboration between hospitals and graduate professional nursing or graduate medical education programs and the use of the existing expertise and facilities of those hospitals and programs. It includes requirements tied to the use of the grants and funding priorities. The Board may use any money appropriated by the legislature, gifts, grants and donations to support the program.

Methodology

For the purposes of this analysis, partnerships with graduate nursing programs and graduate medical programs are considered. The Board anticipates costs to establish rules for the program, conduct a grants competition as needed and at an interval to be determined, administer and monitor grant awards, and approve partnership programs. These costs are estimated to be $102,430 for the 2012-13 biennium.

The Board estimates the following costs based on other partnership programs it administers. They include personnel requirements of 0.35 FTE Program Director and 0.25 FTE Administrative Assistant III (0.6 FTE total) and other costs to administer the program for a total of $99,630 for the 2012-13 biennium. Travel costs for the Program Director to evaluate the grantees on-site assume an average of $400 per site visit, with seven visits starting in 2013 and eight visits in 2014, for a total of 15 site visits over each two-year grant period. The total travel costs for the 2012-13 biennium would total $2,800 since the site visits would not start until the second year of the biennium. It is assumed that all 15 non-military Level 1 Trauma Centers in Texas would participate in the program.

It is assumed the Board would not start awarding grants until fiscal year 2013 after it has established the rules and guidelines and for the participating partnerships to be developed. It is anticipated approximately 50 physicians for the fellowship would participate starting in fiscal year 2013. The estimated costs are $60,000 per year per fellow for fiscal year 2013 for a total of $3 million for the 2012-13 biennium. In addition, it is anticipated the Board would provide $10,000 per year per nurse to cover tuition and fees for a post-graduate certificate program. It assumes up to ten nurses could participate in the program starting in fiscal year 2013 for a cost of $100,000 for the 2012-13 biennium.

The bill takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If the Bill does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, the Bill takes effect September 1, 2011.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 82ND LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


April 29, 2011

TO:	Honorable Lois W. Kolkhorst, Chair, House Committee on Public Health

FROM:	John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB2546 by Zerwas (Relating to the Texas emergency and tauma care education partnership program.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted