Honorable Four Price, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1407 by Sheffield (Relating to the establishment of the emergency medical services assistance program.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB1407, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($5,258,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2019.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
Fiscal Year
Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2018
($2,629,000)
2019
($2,629,000)
2020
($2,629,000)
2021
($2,629,000)
2022
($2,629,000)
Fiscal Year
Probable Revenue Gain/(Loss) from General Revenue Fund 1
Probable Revenue Gain/(Loss) from EMS & Trauma Care Account 5046
Probable Savings/(Cost) from EMS & Trauma Care Account 5046
2018
($2,629,000)
$2,629,000
($2,629,000)
2019
($2,629,000)
$2,629,000
($2,629,000)
2020
($2,629,000)
$2,629,000
($2,629,000)
2021
($2,629,000)
$2,629,000
($2,629,000)
2022
($2,629,000)
$2,629,000
($2,629,000)
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code and the Transportation Code relating to the establishment of the emergency medical services assistance program.
The bill would require the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to establish the emergency medical services (EMS) assistance program. The program would include grants to eligible EMS providers and an educational curriculum to provide training to rural EMS providers.
The bill would require the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to establish rules necessary to implement the subchapter.
The bill would allow DSHS to contract with up to three qualified postsecondary educational institutions to develop and provide the educational curriculum portion of the EMS assistance program.
The bill would allow DSHS to provide administrative support to the EMS assistance program.
The bill would allow DSHS to use funds appropriated from General Revenue-Dedicated Account No. 5046, Permanent Fund for Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care to provide grants to eligible EMS providers who apply for assistance under the EMS assistance program or to provide funding to postsecondary educational institutions offering the educational curriculum portion of the EMS assistance program.
The bill would require the executive commissioner of HHSC to establish by rule a procedure for the Governor's EMS and Trauma Advisory Council to establish priorities for issuance of grants under the subchapter.
The bill would reduce the percentage of revenue collected from the state traffic fine deposited to the credit of the undedicated portion of the general revenue fund from 67.0 percent to 63.67 percent.
The bill would require 3.33 percent of revenue collected from the state traffic fine to be deposited to the credit of General Revenue-Dedicated Account No. 5046, Permanent Fund for Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care.
The bill would cap the amount of revenue collected from the state traffic fine deposited to the credit of General Revenue-Dedicated Account No. 5046, Permanent Fund for Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care at $3.0 million each fiscal year. Any revenue generated above the cap would be deposited to the credit of the undedicated portion of the general revenue fund.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2017.
This legislation would do one or more of the following: create or recreate a dedicated account in the General Revenue Fund, create or recreate a special or trust fund either in, with, or outside of the Treasury, or create a dedicated revenue source. Legislative policy, implemented as Government Code 403.095, consolidated special funds (except those affected by constitutional, federal, or other restrictions) into the General Revenue Fund as of August 31, 1993 and eliminated all applicable statutory revenue dedications as of August 31, 1995. Each subsequent Legislature has reviewed bills that affect funds consolidation. The fund, account, or revenue dedication included in this bill would be subject to funds consolidation review by the current Legislature
Based on the LBB's analysis of the Department of State Health Services and the Health and Human Services Commission, duties and responsibilities associated with implementing and administering the EMS assistance program could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources.
Methodology
The amount of state traffic fine revenue that would be deposited to the credit of General Revenue-Dedicated Account No. 5046, Permanent Fund for Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care instead of the undedicated portion of the general revenue fund was derived by taking 3.33 percent of the projected revenues associated with the state traffic fine in the 2018-19 Biennial Revenue Estimate and directing them to General Revenue-Dedicated Account No. 5046, Permanent Fund for Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care.
The analysis assumes all state traffic fine revenue deposited to General Revenue-Dedicated Account No. 5046, Permanent Fund for Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care will be appropriated to DSHS for grants to EMS providers and contracts with postsecondary educational institutions to develop and provide the educational curriculum.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 537 State Health Services, Department of, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board